PM Modi Inaugurates Donyi Polo Airport and the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Plant in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR : Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Donyi Polo Airport and dedicated the 600 MW Kameng hydro power project in Arunachal Pradesh to the nation on Saturday. 

To the accompaniment of chanting of tribal priests' incantations , the brand new Donyi Polo airport in Arunachal Pradesh was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.The airport's foundation stone was laid by PM Modi himself in February 2019.

The airport, the first greenfield airport located at Arunachal's Hollongi, around 15 kilometres from the state capital Itanagar, will link the Northeastern border state with other Indian cities with commercial flights. Air connectivity will also be established with other parts of Arunachal Pradesh through helicopter services.

The total cost of the Kameng hydro power project stands on more than Rs 8,450 crore in the West Kameng district. It would make Arunachal Pradesh a power-surplus state and also bring about stability and integration in the Nation. The project will spread over more than 80 kilometres in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. 

The Kameng hydro power project will contribute largely to India's commitment to move towards green energy initiatives. The Kameng Hydro Power Station is a run-of-the river scheme to harness the hydro power of Bichom and Tenga rivers with the Power House located in Kimi, West Kameng district Arunachal Pradesh. 

The power station consists of two dams in Bitchom and Tenga. The catchment area in Bitchom is 2277 sq. km and 1019 sq. km in Tenga. The project got fully commissioned on 19th January 2021 by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). This is the fourth unit of the hydropower plant. The unit-1 was fully commissioned in 2020 June, the unit-2 in July 2020 and the third unit in January 2021. 

This particular power plant is the largest hydro power plant in entire northeast, providing dependable power for balancing solar and wind power grid. Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will also be benefited by this project. 3353 million units of electrical energy will be generated every year by this power plant. It is expected to make Arunachal Pradesh a power surplus state, while benefiting the national grid in terms of stability and integration.

After the inauguration of the Donyi Polo Airport and Kameng Hydro Powerplant, PM Modi will move on to the inauguration of the 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam'. It is an even going on from past one month in Varanasi. The prime motive of the programme is to celebrate and rediscover the ever existing links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu. More than 2500 delegates from Tamil Nadu will participate in the programme, they will visit sites, attend seminars and interact with locals from the same professional background.