APW recommends seismology expert for Lower Subansiri project

GUWAHATI: Assam Public Works (APW), one of the organizations that have been opposing the construction of the Lower Subansiri Hydropower Project because of environmental and safety concerns, on Tuesday recommended a London-based seismology expert as a member of the independent committee to review the technicalities of the construction of the project.

Sarada Kanta Sarma, emeritus reader in engineering seismology and senior research fellow at Imperial College, London, has been suggested "only as a recommendation", APW said.

"With an experience of 37 years, Sarma, a geotechnical engineer, is an expert in seismic hazard assessment of engineering sites, seismic design of earth dams and in the geotechnical aspects of seismic effects in general," said Aabhijeet Sharma, president of APW and petitioner before the NGT.

He submitted that the petitioner side would be more than willing to submit two more names to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

In April, the National Green Tribunal had taken up a petition to assess the technicalities of the construction and asked the Centre to set up an expert committee. The directive came after APW complained that the government had violated a previous tribunal order while forming a three-member expert committee.

"As many as nine committees had been constituted to look into the dynamics of the project and not even one committee had reached a holistic conclusion," Sharma said. The petitioner had earlier alleged that despite NGT's order to form a committee with accomplished experts and scientists - including individuals or experts from institutions of repute who have undertaken studies on seismology, hydrology of rivers and river ecosystem of the Himalayas and the northeast - the Centre had set up a committee which consisted only of former government employees.

The project, taken up by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, is supposed to be the largest hydel power project in the country upon completion. Work has been stalled since December 2011, however, after several local bodies opposed its construction on the grounds that it did not comply with safety norms in the face of a seismic event and the possible impact it could have in the downstream areas of Assam.