SHILLONG: Already facing stiff opposition from locals and anti-dam activists, the proposed 270 MW Umngot Power Project has hit another stumbling block. The villagers of Siangkhnai and Syntung in East Khasi Hills have decided to oppose the proposed move of the State Government to hand over the Umngot Power project to Jaypee Group fearing that such a move could lead to large scale influx in the area.
The locals argued that leasing out for the project to the company from outside for a period of 40 years would lead to exploitation of the indigenous people besides a ‘sellout’ of the resources.
“We are against the plan of the Government since we fear that if the company from outside is allowed to implement the project it will lead to a major influx problem in the area,” Sordar of Syntung village Atiar Dkhar said while talking to newsmen here on Saturday.
“Considering that majority of the people of the surrounding villages are illiterate, the employees of the company can also exploit them in various ways,” he said, adding that the entry (coming) of the outsiders would also lead to displacement of many of the villagers.
Sordar of Siangkhnai village, Khlainsing Suting said that they would prefer the MeECL to implement the project since it had already done the survey for the same many years ago.
“We would be able to raise our grievances better with the MeECL since majority of the people working under the corporation are locals. The problem of influx would not emerge if the MeECL implements the project,” Suting said.
Stating that at a time when the villagers were expecting the MeECL to clarify on the doubts raised about the project post the public hearing held in 2010, Suting said the sudden talk about the handing over of the project to the Jaypee Group has come as a major shock to the people of the area.
The villagers, he said, are also not aware of the total area of cultivable land that would come under the proposed project.
“We would also like to know how many villages would be affected by the proposed project,” the Sordar of Siangkhnai village said.
Earlier, Power Minister Clement Marak had informed that the State Government intended to hand over the project to Jaypee Group since the MeECL may not be able to execute it due to various reasons.
Marak informed that prior to its execution, the project needs clearance from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Central Electric Authority and also the Ministry of External Affairs since the project site is situated close to the international border with Bangladesh.
Marak said that the department would find out details of how many villages are likely to be affected by the project after which suitable compensation would be paid to the concerned villagers.
The estimated budget of the project would be around Rs.1700 crore and would cover an area of 390 hectares straddling both Jaintia Hills and East Khasi Hills districts.
