Two hydro projects along China border among ₹5K-cr unveiled

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid foundation stones for projects worth over ₹5,100 crore in Arunachal Pradesh, including two hydropower plants in Shi Yomi district along the China border, calling them "double benefits of double engine" Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in the state.

- Utpal Parashar

The over ₹3,700 crore power projects-Heo (240 MW) and Tato-I (186 MW)-on the Siyom sub-basin in Shi Yomi district, seek to harness the hydroelectric potential of Arunachal Pradesh and promote sustainable energy generation, bringing socio-economic benefits to the region.

"My Arunachal visit has become special due to three reasons. I got to see such beautiful mountains on the first day of Navratri ... Secondly, the next generation GST reforms have started from today and lastly so many development projects (for which foundation stones were laid) for Arunachal," the PM said at a public meeting in state capital Itanagar.

The two projects were launched even as a section of locals have been protesting against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) due to environmental concerns. In May, hundreds of people took to the streets in three Arunachal Pradesh districts against the deployment of central paramilitary forces for surveys for the hydropower project on the Siang River. The government has maintained that the SUMP would counter the potential risks of a mega Chinese hydropower project across the border on the same river.