GUWAHATI, July 22 - All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today warned that it will not allow any move to drain out waters from the State�s rivers to other parts of the country.
Reacting to a news item that appeared in a section of the media, the students� body said that it is opposed to the idea of interlinking the rivers of the country, which was first mooted in 2003, as it will lead to draining out of the waters of the State rivers.
The Central Government has been insisting on linking the rivers of the State with rivers of the other parts of the country in a bid to feed the dry areas. For the purpose, the excess waters of the State�s rivers would be used, the Centre claims.
�But the question remains as to how the excess waters of the State�s rivers have been assessed and who are the people engaged in this exercise. It is also not known as to when, whether in the rainy season or in the lean season, this assessment was made,� the AASU said.
Again, the Central Government is turning a deaf ear to the demand of the people of the State to declare the problems of flood and erosion as a national problem, said the students� body.
�From all such facts, it seems that the Central Government is interested only in exploiting the resources of the State, overlooking the burning problems plaguing it, the AASU said.
It demanded that the Central Government should immediately declare the flood and erosion problem in the State as a national problem and adopt urgent steps to protect and preserve the riverine island of Majuli.
