Students in Lakhimpur block NH to oppose Subansiri dam

DIBRUGARH: With the decks being cleared for the construction of the stalled 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and the Tai Ahom Yuva Chatra Sanmilan Asom staged protests in Lakhimpur on Monday to oppose the project.

The Lower Subansiri project has been stuck for the past eight years following stiff opposition from various quarters.

Apart from claiming that the project would be a potential threat to people living downstream from the dam site, the anti-dam groups had cited environmental concerns for their strong opposition to the mega project.

The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) recently inked an MoA with the Assam government for implementation of the project after getting a go-ahead from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NHPC is expected to restart construction of the dam in October.

On Monday, activists of the Tai Ahom Yuva Chatra Sanmilan, Asom blocked the NH-15 in Lakhimpur to voice their protest against the mega dam. Similarly, hundreds of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) members from Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Majuli and Biswanath districts formed a human chain at Gogamukh as a mark of protest.

"We will continue to protest since we have serious reservations against the construction of the dam. Several experts have expressed concerns over the safety aspects and downstream impact of the mega project which is being constructed in a highly seismic zone. In the event of a major earthquake, the whole dam can collapse. If that happens, you can imagine the scale of destruction and devastation that will be caused in the downstream areas," said AJYCP Lakhimpur district president Mondeep Neog leading the protest on Monday.

The NHPC had earlier said the dam has been designed and strengthened to withstand seismic activity up to a magnitude of 8 on the Richter Scale, which will make it one of the strongest dams in India. The height of the dam, which was initially planned to be 257 metres, was reduced to 116 metres amid safety concerns.

Once commissioned, the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project at Gerukamukh in Dhemaji district is going to become the largest hydropower project of the country with an installed capacity of 2,000 MW and annual energy generation of 7,421.59 million units. The project on the Subansiri, a tributary of the Brahmaputra river, falls under both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh . Work on the project is expected to be completed in three-and-a-half years with a total expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore.

Way back in 2003, the Centre had given the nod to the project and construction began in 2005. The deadline for finishing the project was set for 2014 but after completion of 50% work, everything came to a grinding halt in December 2011 following protests by the anti-dam groups. Since then, only routine maintenance work are being carried out from time to time.