[ Prafulla Kaman ]
DHEMAJI, Jun 10: The Dhemaji district committee of the Asom Jatiyotabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Monday staged sit-in demonstrations in Dhemaji and Gogamukh, protesting the central government’s decision to resume the construction of the Subansiri Lower hydroelectric project (HEP) in Gerukhamukh.
The protesters submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the Dhemaji DC, demanding total closure of the 2000 mw HEP and all other all mega dam projects in the northeastern states.
The AJYCP resumed the protest in the wake of the central government’s decision to restart the mega dam works in Arunachal without preparing a proper mitigation policy or plan for the project affected people downstream.
The AJYCP leaders claimed that the state government during the tripartite talk between the AJYCP and the central and state governments had assured to suspend the construction work for the HEP until experts had assessed the probable downstream impact and formulated an effective mitigation policy.
The student leaders cautioned the government against “playing with the sentiments of the people downstream, particularly Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Majuli and Jorhat districts of Assam,” and demanded immediate scrapping of all the mega dam projects in Arunachal.
“We will continue our protest against mega dams, and the government will be responsible for any adverse situation caused by it,” cautioned the AJYCP’s Dhemaji unit president Pratim Chutiya.
In August 2018, the AJYCP, with support from various student unions and community organizations of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts, had staged a massive protest against the Subansiri Lower HEP.
