AJYCP launches stir in Jorhat against Subansiri Project, urges national focus on floods
The 2000 MW Lower Subansiri hydroelectric power project & other big dam projects were a big threat to the people & nearby districts
Jorhat, June 17: As per the State-wide stir programme of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) seeking scrapping of the big dam projects and undertaking measures to mitigate floods and erosion problems in the State permanently along with declaring floods and erosion as a national problem, the Jorhat district unit of the students’ body on Monday staged a three-hour sit-in demonstration in front of the Jorhat District Commissioner’s office complex.
Holding banners and placards, the protesters shouted slogans in support of their demands and against the Central and State governments led by the BJP. They said that the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri hydroelectric power project and other big dam projects carried out by NHPC in the region were a ‘big threat’ to the people not only of the adjoining districts of these projects, but to several other districts as such projects could bring in disaster.
The protesters pointed out that recently when water was released from the 405 MW Ronganadi hydel project, vast areas of Lakhimpur district were submerged affecting a large number of people and crops, which showed the grave danger posed by hydel projects.
“Imagine the scale of devastation that would happen if disaster strikes the Lower Subansiri hydel project,” a protester observed.
Regarding floods occurring every year and also massive erosion caused by the mighty Brahmaputra thereby causing large-scale devastation and bringing miseries to a large section of the population, the protesters said that long-term measures that could bring permanent solution should be undertaken.
They said that for this purpose, the flood and erosion should be treated as a national problem as it has been impacting a substantial part of the population who have lost lives, property, livestock and livelihood since the past several decades, and also hampering the development of the State.
They said that respective governments have not accorded proper attention to these problems caused by nature and the current BJP-led government at the Centre, which claims to have given priority to the north-eastern region’s development by terming the region as Ashtalakshmi too has not taken any tangible step to tackle floods and erosion.