From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Pressure groups and students organisations in Assam have warned of an intense agitation along with legal recourse against the state government’s go-ahead to NHPC Limited in regard to implementation of the 2000 megawatt (MW) Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project.
The state government had, in a “closed-door” meeting on Friday, signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with NHPC Limited in this regard, triggering concern among agitating groups who maintain that the move would have disastrous impact on the downstream areas of the river.
“It is a matter of great concern that the government has given the go-ahead to NHPC without taking into consideration the matter of public safety in the downstream areas of the river, particularly in the absence of proper impact assessment and scientific construction. We, along with 30 other state organisations, will not take this move lying down and instead knock on the doors of the judiciary while intensifying our agitation at the same time,” All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) president, Dipanka Nath, said on Saturday.
Located on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, the hydropower project will have an annual generation of 7421.59 MU. Construction work on the project had to be stopped since 2011 following protest against the downstream impact of the mega project.
“The government of Assam owes an explanation to the people of the state as to what the three-member committee team had mentioned in its report on the impact of the mega dam construction. Our experts from Gauhati University, Dibrugarh University and IIT Guwahati had earlier warned of the danger such a project would pose in the downstream areas,” Nath said.
The AASU leader, however, added that the organisation was never against development.
“But public safety is our priority and any move that threatens people’s lives would be vehemently opposed,” he said.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, which has also been leading the movement against mega dams along with several other organisations, condemned the development terming it as a “breach of public trust” and an “illegal” agreement.
“We demand that the agreement should be scrapped and instead a tripartite meeting between the Centre, state government and state’s organisations in regard to the mega project should be held,” KMSS adviser, Akhil Gogoi, told reporters here.
“But now, by giving NHPC the green signal to build a 2000 MW project without taking into account its ramifications on people, the government led by the same party leaders, have tweaked their stance and breached public trust,” he added.
The NHPC, on the other hand, maintained that it has undertaken protection work along both the banks of the Subansiri in the downstream area for containing flood water and checking soil erosion.
“NHPC is also implementing downstream developmental work which includes livelihood intervention and infrastructure developmental work,” a statement by NHPC said on Friday.