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Protest staged to halt construction of a hydel-power project in Assam | Hundreds of people assembled in Gerukamukh region located in Assam’s Dhemaji district to demand an immediate halt in the construction of 2,000-MW hydel power plant, fearing catastrophic impact of the big dam. Local residents say that the
Lower Subansiri Hydro-electric Project on the Assam-Arunachal border is a hasty
step taken by the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) without proper
studies on the project's downstream impact in the form of flood, soil erosion
and loss of biodiversity. The All Assam Students Union (AASU) has been spearheading
a stir, demanding adequate safety and security measures for the people living
downstream. Locals and AASU officials say that a team of experts from Guwahati
University (GU), Dibrugarh University (DU) and the Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT), Guwahati, had given instructions to NHPC to stop the construction of the
dam, and they should heed the experts' advice. "We are demanding that they should
show their respect to the expert committee, and they should stop construction
of main dams. And he (NHPC official) has said that they are consulting the reports
of the experts, and they'll consult with their high officials, and then they will
take a decision. But we are very clear that the construction of the main dam must
be stopped. And we'll see how they react, whether they respect the sentiments
of the people or not, whether they stop the construction of the main dam or not.
If they fail to respect the sentiments of the people, if they fail to keep their
commitment, we will start a vigorous movement because it is the question of our
own existence," said Sammujal Bhattacharya, AASU advisor. AASU officials say that
NHPC had agreed on a reassessment of the possible adverse impact of the dam, especially
on the people. The NHPC had also agreed to suspend the construction until the
expert committee gave their decision, but locals say that despite that, the NHPC
was secretly carrying on with the construction works, which invited the ire of
the public. |
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