📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan
Politics
Former Sikkim Minister Tseten Tashi Bhutia Calls on PM Modi to Halt New Hydel Projects Amid Nepal Floods
✍️ Northeast Live
🗓 28 Aug 2026, 07:38 AM
👁 2
Ex‑Sikkim minister Tseten Tashi Bhutia has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to scrap pending hydroelectric projects, citing the severe flooding in Nepal as a warning sign.
Former Sikkim minister Tseten Tashi Bhutia publicly appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cancel all pending hydroelectric projects in the state. He made the appeal as Nepal grapples with devastating floods that have raised alarm over downstream river management.
Bhutia warned that proceeding with new dams could aggravate flood risks, disrupt river ecosystems and impose additional burdens on local communities already vulnerable to extreme weather. He urged a comprehensive review of both ongoing and planned hydel schemes before any further clearances are granted.
The former minister’s statement comes at a time when the central government is promoting renewable‑energy infrastructure to meet national power targets. No official response from the Ministry of Power or the Prime Minister's Office has been recorded yet.
Stakeholders, including environmental groups and local residents, have previously expressed concerns about the environmental impact of large‑scale hydropower projects in the fragile Himalayan catchments. Bhutia’s call adds political weight to those ongoing debates.
Bhutia warned that proceeding with new dams could aggravate flood risks, disrupt river ecosystems and impose additional burdens on local communities already vulnerable to extreme weather. He urged a comprehensive review of both ongoing and planned hydel schemes before any further clearances are granted.
The former minister’s statement comes at a time when the central government is promoting renewable‑energy infrastructure to meet national power targets. No official response from the Ministry of Power or the Prime Minister's Office has been recorded yet.
Stakeholders, including environmental groups and local residents, have previously expressed concerns about the environmental impact of large‑scale hydropower projects in the fragile Himalayan catchments. Bhutia’s call adds political weight to those ongoing debates.