Gangtok, August 23: The Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) has urged the Sikkim government to decommission the NHPC Stage V and Stage III dams following a massive landslide at Dipu Dara near Singtam.

The landslide damaged the Balutar Teesta Stage V GIS building and the entry tunnel of the powerhouse hydroelectric project, as well as several houses in the area.

ACT claimed that the landslide was primarily caused by the underground Teesta Stage V powerhouse and the 20 kilometers of tunnels from Dikchu Dam to the underground power station at Balutar Dipu Dara.

ACT’s General Secretary, Gyatsho Tongden Lepcha, urged the state government to reconsider its current development model, particularly its reliance on hydropower projects, which he described as a “bane rather than a boon” for Sikkim.

Lepcha opposed the controversial NHPC 520 MW Stage IV project, calling for its cancellation, warning that it would be “the final nail in the coffin for Sikkim.”

ACT highlighted the environmental and social impacts of run-of-the-river projects, specifically pointing to the Teesta Stage V project, which involves a 96.45-meter-high and 182.5-meter-long concrete gravity dam at Dikchu.

ACT criticized the recognition of NHPC’s Teesta-V power station, which received the ‘Blue Planet Prize’ from the International Hydropower Association (IHA) in 2021, calling it an attempt to “depoliticise the woes and protests against dams”.

ACT condemned the hydro developers’ apparent indifference to ongoing issues with road connectivity in Sikkim, citing the state’s economic struggles, inflation, and collapsed infrastructure.

In North Sikkim’s Toong Naga village, nearly 300 households were destroyed and residents were asked to leave their ancestral homes this year due to the impact of last year’s GLOF and the breach of the Teesta III 1200 MW dam.