DIMAPUR, AUG 8 (NPN): Land Owners’ Union (LOU), Doyang Hydro-Electric Plant (DHEP), Wokha, has urged the state government to intervene in a range of long-standing grievances concerning the 75-MW Doyang Hydro-Electric Plant, including the demand for a share of Nagaland’s free-power revenue for the welfare of project-affected communities.
In a representation addressed to the state chief minister, LOU president P. Roland Ezung and general secretary Sorenthung Patton said the 17 land-affected villages had surrendered 8,420.41 acres for the project under a 1984 land acquisition agreement with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd. (NEEPCO), a Government of India enterprise.
The union said the project was established following a tripartite agreement involving the Government of Nagaland, NEEPCO and the landowners, with the objectives of power generation, employment creation and socio-economic development of the affected communities.
The union highlighted a long-running dispute over the operational water level of the Doyang reservoir. It claimed that the reservoir level for power generation has remained at 324 metres above sea level, while NEEPCO maintains that compensation was paid for land up to 340 metres.
The LOU said repeated correspondence between the state government, NEEPCO and landowners had failed to resolve the issue, which it claimed had contributed to mistrust and concerns over the safety of communities living around the reservoir.
It urged the state government to intervene and facilitate a permanent resolution to the dispute.
The union also alleged that NEEPCO had failed to honour provisions of the original agreement relating to preferential employment for families affected by land acquisition. It claimed that qualified candidates from landowning families had been overlooked for Grade-D and contractual positions despite vacancies, and called for a transparent employment policy to enforce the alleged commitment.
LOU further sought preferential recruitment of qualified civil, mechanical and electrical engineers from the 17 affected villages for positions at Doyang Hydro Power Station.
The union also demanded that a portion of the revenue accruing to Nagaland from its 12% free-power entitlement from the 75-MW central sector project be earmarked for the welfare and development of project-affected communities.
The LOU requested that the state government to consider allocating 2% or 4% of the revenue received through the state’s 12% free-power entitlement as a Local Area Development Fund (LADF) for the affected families and surrounding areas in Wokha.
The union said the project had contributed to Nagaland’s power sector and economy for decades, but the communities that surrendered their ancestral and cultivable land had not received adequate developmental benefits.
LOU also raised concern over the Government of India’s 2020 transfer of 100% of NEEPCO’s shares to NTPC Ltd. for Rs. 4,000 crore, claiming the disinvestment was carried out without the knowledge or consent of the state government and DHEP stakeholders.
The union maintained that its demands were interconnected and reflected what it described as a failure to deliver the developmental benefits promised to the land-affected communities.
After waiting for more than two decades for the grievances to be addressed, the LOU appealed to the chief minister to intervene and secure justice, partnership and sustainable development for the Doyang project-affected communities.
Sunday, August 9, 2026