GUWAHATI: The reports about China constructing mega dams on the mainstream of Brahmaputra River in Tibet area have been a major concern for Assam and the rest of the Northeastern region given that the river is the main channel for the entire region and determines its life and ecology.
So, taking advantage of the visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue of construction of dams on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River by China with the visiting Chinese President.
Gogoi in a letter dispatched to Prime Minister Modi, pointed out serious concerns raised by various quarters including experts over the possible catastrophic impact on ecology in Assam and rest of the region because of ‘construction of dams’ by China over the river within Tibet.
“It is feared that construction of the dams is likely to trigger fresh concerns on how the flows of the Brahmaputra downstream will be impacted. It would be most appropriate to convey India’s concerns to the visiting Chinese President,” said Gogoi adding that his government has been all along raising the issue at the highest level.
Gogoi further hoped that the visit of the Chinese President would help to bolster trade ties and boost Chinese investment in India, particularly in Assam and other States of the Northeastern Region.
“As the visiting Chinese President is expected to pledge billions of dollars in investment, including plans for Chinese-funded industrial parks, we hope to get a fair share of it in infrastructure and other sectors in Assam,” Gogoi wrote to the PM.
