Northeast Desk, 15th February: In a bold move, Citizens Action Party (CAP) Sikkim organized a protest rally from Gangtok’s Amdo Golai to the District Administration Centre, denouncing the sale of the state government’s stake in Teesta Urja Private Limited to Greenco. The state government previously held a substantial 60.4 percent share in the hydroelectricity plant, which has now been transferred to a private entity.
CAP Sikkim voiced their discontent, emphasizing the lack of public consultation or transparency before the stake sale. “The SKM government has failed to create any assets for the future generation of Sikkim. Instead, they have solely blamed the previous government for corruption in the hydroelectric project,” remarked CAP spokesperson Albert Gurung. He also highlighted the devastating impact of the recent GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) incident on October 3, which resulted in loss of lives and destruction of property worth over 100 Crores Rupees.
Taking aim at the Teesta Stage 3 dam in Chungthang, which was destroyed in the GLOF, Gurung accused the Chief Minister of neglecting the substandard construction of the dam. He alleged that despite promises of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the State vigilance, no action has been taken. Gurung criticized the SKM government for hastily selling the stakes to Greenco, a Mauritius-based company, without conducting any thorough investigation. He warned against further dam construction in Sikkim, citing the river’s carrying capacity being at its peak and the detrimental impact on communities in Dzongu, Chungthang, Lachen, and Lachung, as well as thousands affected by the GLOF incident.