Assam: AASU stages protest against Subansiri mega-dam, says NHPC “secretly” completing construction

AASU President of Lakhimpur, Pulak Bora, stated that National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has completed 35 per cent of the construction work secretly, which is against the will of the people of the area.

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GUWAHATI:

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) on Friday burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in protest against the construction of the 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro-electric project, at Gerukamukh along the Assam-Arunachal border.

AASU President of Lakhimpur, Pulak Bora, alleged that National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has completed 35 per cent of the construction work secretly, which is against the will of the people of the area.

"After the tripartite meeting in 2006, the construction work of the dam was halted, but during the lockdown period, the work resumed again. The NHPC have violated the tripartite agreement," added Bora.

A tripartite meeting between AASU, NHPC and the government on the issue had taken place in 2006 after the student body had staged a series of protests against the project. After the meeting, the work on the dam was halted.

AASU however, maintained that it has no problem if the government instead builds smaller dams or multipurpose dams on the river. "We urge the government and (NHPC) to instead build mini and multipurpose dams," said Bora.

Earlier on Wednesday, an AASU delegation led by its secretary Shankarjyoti Baruah visited the Lower Subansiri Hydro-electric Project site following reports of landslide on the slopes of the hill through which diversion tunnels pass.

(Edited by Shankar Kumar Turha)

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