A transmission tower at Borjhar in Guwahati on Friday. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Doyang/Kohima, Aug. 26: The whirr of turbines in one of the costliest hydel projects in the country, the Doyang power project in Nagaland, might soon get muffled, thanks to unresolved land disputes.

Having lost 30 million units of power last year following pressure from landowners, the Union power ministry is now paying attention to the Neepco-run Doyang power project in Wokha district.

The power lost was equivalent to Nagaland?s annual power consumption. Sources said the state government has been told to ensure that optimum power is generated.

Last year, landowners compelled Neepco officials to open the radial gates of the dam, arguing that water was reaching areas for which compensation has not been paid by the government.

But unless the water level is high, there will be loss of power generation, Neepco sources confirmed. The 75-MW power project costs a whopping Rs 758 crore, with one of the highest per unit costs of power generation.

It currently generates 65 MW of power, with electricity generation usually reaching optimum levels.

Apparently, the project was in trouble even before it was commissioned in 2000 and eventually dedicated to the nation in March 2002. The government negotiated prices of land with the owners in 1983 and reached an agreement with them the next year. But there were perennial law and order problems, with alleged intimidation and threats to project officials.

Villagers complain that they have still not been paid in full by the government. Neepco deputy general manager N.K. Mao said the company had paid Rs 26 crore for land acquisition till an elevation of 340 metres above mean sea level. Mao said the maximum level which water could reach would be 336 metres and the 340-metre level was only a safeguard.

When asked about the pending payments to villagers, Wokha deputy commissioner B.T. Konyak admitted there were problems over compensation that would have to be examined. This year, the government has woken up and written to villagers, asking them to allow the dam floodgates to remain closed.

Apprehensive Neepco officials said they were not sure if they would be allowed to generate optimum power. ?Let us see how determined the government is,? said Mao.

However, the problems do not end there, either for the people or project officials.

The 25-km road from Wokha to Doyang is in such a shoddy condition that Bhel engineers from Hyderabad and Bangalore decline to undertake routine visits, Neepco sources said.