GUWAHATI, July 9 � The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) and Takam Mising Porin Kebang(TMPK) today staged a satyagraha demanding abandonment of all the proposals for setting up mega dam projects on the Himalaya foothills, which have been identified as seismically the most sensitive areas. They also opposed the move to bring back the turbines meant for the Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Power Project (LSHEP).
Members of the AASU and TMPK assembled on the road leading to the Raj Bhawan and held an impromptu meeting in the Uzanbazar area, which was addressed by AASU president Sankar Prasad Roy, general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi, adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya, TMPK president Jahan Doley, general secretary Indra Chungkrang among others.
The speakers reminded the authorities of the observations made by the experts of the IIT, Guwahati, Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University against construction of any mega dam project on the seismically sensitive Himalayan foothill areas. However, they resent that the governments in the State and at the Centre as well have failed to implement the above recommendation of the experts on the issue.
They also opposed the reported move of the government to engage some other experts to re-examine the issue.
The student�s organizations sent a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh with a copy to the Chief Minister demanding scrapping of all mega dam projects and initiating steps to set up micro dam projects to meet the power demands of the region. At the same time, they said, the problems of flood and erosion of Assam should be accorded national status with urgent steps to solve them.
