The anti-big dam organisations in Assam have chalked out fresh agitation from Monday to protest against the Centre’s decision to restart the works of lower Subansiri Hydro Power project. While the All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) has decided to start a day long sit-in-demonstration on July 7, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has decided to launch a month-long mass awareness programme against the big dams from the same day. KMSS, the farmers’ body led by RTI activist Akhil Gogoi has also decided to hold a sit-in demonstration across the State on August 8.
“We are going to organise a month long campaign from Monday next to make everyone in the state aware about the ill-effects of the big dams. Meetings will be organised at district, subdivision and panchayats levels to aware people against the big dams,” said KMSS chief Akhil Gogoi.
“Our campaign will also highlight the ‘U-turn’ taken by the BJP-led Government at the Centre on the issue. While the BJP had earlier said that they would try to have a consensus decision over the big dams particularly regarding the 2000 MW lower Subansiri Hydro Power Project, the Union Minister of State for Coal, Power and Renewable Energy (Independent charge) Piyush Goyal had reportedly assured Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki that the remaining works of the project would resume shortly,” Gogoi said.
“In 2010, then BJP president Rajnath Singh had termed the lower Subansiri project as ‘water bomb’ at a meeting in Gerukamukh. Now how can the same party change its stand and resume works of the stalled projectIJ” Akhil questioned. “We are not going to allow lowed Subansiri project unless it addresses concerns raised by the expert committee. We are also going to oppose the BJP government’s move to set up another power project at Bhutan which will submerge Assam’s western districts,” he said.
The RTI activist also termed the BJP Government’s move to set up the 22,000 MW power project at Bhutan as colonisation and said that the Central Government wants to take away the resources of the Bhutan and this would impact western Assam districts negatively.“In fact the corporate had spent money on the BJP during the polls. After the BJP came to power, they (corporate) are now putting pressure on the Government to set up power projects in the region so that they can get their money back by setting up power projects in the region,” he said.
The Aasu while expressing its apprehensions over the issue said that it would resort to a ‘Satyagraha’ on Monday in protest against the Centre’s decision to restart the works of the lower Subansiri project. Aasu adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the go-ahead on the lower Subansiri project without taking the experts into confidence would not serve the interest of the State. He also asked the Central Government to make its stand clear on the issue.