From Our Correspondent
TURA: The Joint Action Committee of social and student organizations from East Garo Hills have announced a string of protests ranging from office picketing to public rallies against the Meghalaya Government’s decision to go ahead with the diversion of water from Daribokgre stream that feeds the Simsang River.
The student and social organizations of East Garo Hills together with the Mothers’ Federation of Williamnagar held an emergent meeting at the GSU office on Thursday afternoon to discuss the Meghalaya Government’s silence on the dam project.
The JAC had given a seven day deadline to the government to cancel the project and no word had come forth from Shillong on the issue even after the deadline expired on Tuesday.
“It was unanimously decided to begin a poster campaign from Friday and a two day office picketing of all government offices in the district on May 7 and 8 after which we will hold a mass public rally at police parade ground in Williamnagar on May 10,” announced JAC publicity secretary Silseng G Momin.
Beginning Friday, posters calling for the preservation of the Simsang River and opposition to the Daribokgre dam project are expected to hit the streets of East Garo Hills in a big way.
The JAC has already made it known that the upcoming office picketing of government departments on May 7 and 8 would be ‘enforced’ in totality.
The proposed mass public rally at the police grounds on May 10 would also witness a sit-in demonstration by leaders and volunteers, it was announced.
The upcoming agitational programmes of the NGOs from East Garo Hills have been given supported by several student and social groups including the All India Garo Union (AIGU), Garo Students’ Union, FKJGP, Federation for A’chik Freedom, A’chik Socio-cultural Operation Team, and the influential Mothers’ Federation of Williamnagar which has a large following of parents from the district.