GUWAHATI, Sept 3 : The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) staged a protest in Lakhimpur against resumption of construction work on the site of the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydro-electric Project at Gerukamukh along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border during the lockdown period.
Members of AASU, Lakhimpur unit, burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the National Hydro-electric Project Corporation (NHPC) during the protest.
“NHPC has secretly carried out construction work at the mega dam site, ignoring public sentiments and completed 35 percent work during the lockdown period. We oppose such activities of NHPC,” AASU Lakhimpur unit president, Pulak Bora said.
“Work had stopped after the tripartite meeting. But during the lockdown period it was resumed in violation of the tripartite agreement. The project is a threat to people in the downstream areas. As such, we have urged the government and NHPC to construct mini dams and multipurpose dams,” he said.
Work on the mega project across river Subansiri started in 2006 and continued till 2011 when various local issues, including submersion fears in the downstream areas forced a halt.
An AASU team led by its secretary Shankarjyoti Baruah had visited the project site at Gerukamukh on Wednesday following reports of a landslide on the slopes of the hill through which diversion tunnels pass.