WB report on India's Alaknanda hydropower project kept under wraps

Findings on possible adverse impacts of Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydropower project may not become public.

The ministry of power has requested World Bank, which is funding the project, to keep the report under cover till the Maha Kumbh Mela at Allahabad gets over.

The request was made in order to avoid agitations that the findings may trigger while Hindu pilgrims, sadhus  and spiritual leaders congregate at Allahabad, located on the banks of the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna, from mid-January.

The Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydro electric project in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, with an installed capacity of 444 MW, is proposed as a run of the river project. The project proposes a 65 metre high diversion dam on the Alaknanda.

The World Bank inquiry was prompted by a complaint by economist Bharat Jhunjhunwala, a retired professor of Indian Institute of Management in Bengaluru, saying the project will have grave social, cultural, environmental and spiritual impact.

None of the documents related to the investigation and the complaint is available in the public domain.

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