NEW DELHI, June 15 � Alarmed by the sharp rise in prices of natural gas leading to rise in cost of power, the Assam Government today called for rollback of the hike in prices of natural gas in the State.
The State Government�s plea was formally made to the Prime Minister by the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi.
The State Government�s case was that prices of natural gas skyrocketed 138 per cent rising from Rs 1500 to Rs 4000 per MMSCMD, triggering a rise of Re 1 per unit of power.
Talking to mediapersons, Chief Minister Gogoi said that the increase in cost of natural gas owing to dismantling of the APM, has put an additional burden of Rs 30 crore on the State Government.
At least 60 per cent of the power plants in Assam operate on natural gas and rise in cost of power ahead of the polls scheduled early next year has made the Tarun Gogoi Government see red.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said he discussed the flood problem with the Prime Minister in great details.
The issue of flood waters washing away border fencing along Indo-Bangladesh border and severe erosion in South Salmara was also raised by the Chief Minister.
Gogoi said, he mentioned about the need for reclamation of the land, lost due to erosion. The State has lost about 1 lakh hectares of land to erosion. There is an urgent need to strengthen the embankment. �If we do not do it now then we fear that more land might be lost to erosion,� he said.
About the stalled North East Water Resources Authority (NEWRA), the Chief Minister pleaded for revival of the project even without those States which are opposing it. Arunachal Pradesh is opposing NEWRA and has so far managed to scuttle the Centre�s move to set up the Authority drawn on the lines of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
�We have to set up the authority if we have to control the damages caused by floods,� he said.
The Chief Minister later called on Union Minister for Water Resources (MoWR) Paban Bansal and discussed about two anti-erosion schemes in Morigaon.
The Chief Minister, meanwhile, advocated the concept paper on the Brahmaputra river system and management based on hydrology and hydraulics prepared by German scientist Prof Wolfgang Flugel in association with head of the Water Resource Department and Management, IIT, Rourkee, Prof Nayan Sarma.
The two scientists had made a power-point presentation before the Chief Minister in presence of other technical experts and top officials.
The paper prepared by the two scientists talks of using bamboo to prevent erosion for about 30 to 40 years.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said he has demanded a bridge on the river Brahmaputra connecting Majuli island. The bridge, apart from connecting the river island, which is in the race for being declared as a world cultural hertitage site, could be of strategic value as well, because it would provide onward connection to border States like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Myanmar.
The State Government has also proposed inclusion of the 200 km historic Dhodar Ali under the SARDP � NE. This road also has strategic value.
In his meeting with the Prime Minister, Gogoi also sought sanction of Rs 800 crore for PMGRY projects in the State.
