Assam Govt Refers Bordikorai Project Case To CBI Over Abrupt Closure

The Assam government has referred a case regarding the Bordikorai Small Hydro Electric Project to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the abrupt closure of the project.

The then Assam government decided to start the Bordikorai Small Hydro Electric Project in 2009 helmed by Neccon Power and Infra Limited, a private entity. However, the project was abruptly shut down in 2015 due to lack of environmental clearance.

Addressing media persons, Sarma said, "We had to pay a compensation of Rs 100 crore to Neccon Power and Infra Limited after a high court order. But the question arises of how was the project even initiated without an environmental clearance. After the abrupt closure of the project, no action was taken against anyone involved."

"Therefore, our cabinet has decided to refer this case to the CBI for a through investigation regarding what circumstances led to the sudden closure, how it was taken forward without the requisite clearance and why our government had to compensate the company on the directives of the court," the Chief Minister added.

The project site is located at a distance of 50 kilometers from Tezpur town of Assam and is accessible by Itakhola-Seijusa-Sepa road off national highway 52.

The Bordikorai Small Hydro Electric Project, originally conceived as an irrigation scheme with integrated hydroelectric power generation, has faced a prolonged timeline since its inception. Approved by the Planning Commission of India in December 1974 and receiving administrative clearance in February 1975, the project planned to utilize the Bordikorai river, a tributary of the Jia Bhorali river on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, to feed its irrigation canal. Despite these early approvals, decades passed without significant progress.

In recent years, the government of Assam, through APPDCL - a joint venture of the Government of Assam and IL&FS, undertook project development activities including detailed project reports, surveys, investigations, and bid document preparations.

An APGCL report mentioned that subsequently, the project was awarded to a private developer under an agreement signed on May 18, 2010. However, due to various reasons, the developer could not complete the project, leading to the termination of the agreement on March 1, 2015. Following a directive from the Government of Assam, the project was transferred to APGCL in December 2020 for further implementation.

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