By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The villagers of Umsawar and surrounding areas in East Khasi Hills, wanted the withdrawal of the NoC given to MeECL by the Sordar Raid Lynshing to construct a dam at Wah Umngot to harness power.
The villagers communicated this to several social activists from North East People’s Alliance (NEPA), a platform of individuals and non government organisations (NGOs) during their visit to the project affected areas on Monday.
During a meeting, the speakers criticized the handing over of NoC to the MeECL by the Sordar of Raid Lynshing to construct the dam.
Based on the NoC, the MeECL was seeking a clearance from the authorities in Delhi.
The villagers said that the traditional body did not have the right to decide without consulting them and hence rejected the NoC.
At least a dozen activists from across the Northeast visited Umsawar, which has been engaged in a struggle against the 116 meter high dam proposed to be built in Wah Umngot to generate 3x80mw power. Umngot flows into Bangladesh through Dawki to become the Surma river.
“We wanted to find out what is happening here after hearing a lot about it at many forums on people’s issues,” said Ram Wangkheirakpam from the North East People’s Alliance.
Several sordars and youth leaders from the villages to be affected by the Umngot Hydel Electric Project have taken part in many of the discussions held around the region from time to time, he said. They had also paid a visit to Arunachal Pradesh to learn about the effect of dams on people and how people are going about dealing with these government-company sponsored projects which had displacement of local people as a major component.
The team of activists from Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, representing their individual organisations camped at Umsawar for two nights.
During their stay, they held discussions with the Sordars and the people of the village and also paid a visit to the Umngot river and their cultivated lands along the banks, parts of which are in the submergence area of the dam.
Umsawar raised the interest of activists as it is the first village in the State to seriously contest a dam project which began in 2008 when the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeCL) started its ground work for the project.
They were told that the Siangkhnai village, where the dam site is located at has already given their consent to the dam basically because the people of that village did not have any land to lose, but that Umsawar and six other villages had everything to lose and are not ready to part with their lands.
During a meeting held at Jatah Nonglyer, near Umsawar called by Ka Kynhun Ki Nongrep Harud Wah Umngot, an association of farmers on the banks of Umngot, the matter was discussed.
The people extended their full support to the struggle to keep their lands from passing off into the hands of the power companies.
The NGO leaders also talked about the experiences in their own states where such projects had displaced the community and how the communities had been fighting for their rights for decades. They told the meeting that their experience and networks would be at the disposal of the people of the area if needed. The meeting was chaired by the president of Kynhun, Albinton Mukhim and the secretary Dlansing Suting.
Seven villages whose cultivated lands in the submergence area are Umsawar, Mawdulop, Mynsang, Jatah Nonglyer, Ksanrngi, and Mawsir with individuals from Nohron village are part of the Kynhun. Villages which are either for the dam or undecided are Suntung, Majatap, Mawlang and Siangkhnai.