Public hearing dates for land fixed

Tribune News Service 

Dehradun, July 16

The public hearing for Champawat, Pithoragarh and Almora districts, areas of which would be affected by the proposed construction of the 5,040-MW Pancheshwar Dam, to be carried out jointly by India and Nepal, has been fixed for August 9, 11 and 17, respectively. 

Land in these three districts is likely to be submerged due to the construction of the dam. Further to speed up the matter, a joint inspection by heads of the Panchayati Raj, Revenue and Forest Departments and Pancheswar Dam authority is also slated to take place in the coming days. 

“I have asked the DMs concerned to do the necessary paperwork such as record of forest area, location of National Park, in case their areas fall in the proposed dam area,” said Chief Secretary S Ramaswamy. 

In the three districts, around 29,436 families of 122 villages would be affected. 

Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project will be located in Uttarakhand and Nepal and will be implemented by Pancheshwar Development Authority, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

The proposed project is envisaged on the Mahakali (known as Sarada in India) river, which forms the international boundary between India and Nepal, dividing the Far Western Development Region of Nepal from Uttarakhand. It is a bi-national scheme, primarily aimed at energy generation and providing irrigation facilities. 

The project comprises a rockfill dam of 315 m height from the deepest foundation level. It is proposed to have two underground powerhouses with an installed capacity of 5,600 MW.