North Lakhimpur � Dec 2 � The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) today appealed to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to oppose construction of mega dam on the Subansiri river in Gerukamukh by National Hydro-electrical Power Corporation.
Addressing a press meet here Akhil Gogoi asked the Chief Minister to clarify about his stand on the dam issue for the final time and flayed his comments over the issue. He also said that the expert committee set up for preparing a report on the construction of hydro-electrical power dam in Gerukamukh had rejected the project because of the unfavourable terrain of the area consisting of soft-Shivalik stones. The KMSS leader also informed about the status of the North Eastern sub-Himalayan area as Zone-6 in the seismic classifications of the globe which bear the maximum chances of an earthquake. He alleged that this level has been lowered to Zone-5 to pave the way for the construction of mega dam in Gerukamukh.
Gogoi presented the impact on the environment and ecology of this reason due to the construction of dams which included the drying up of the rivers of Dikrong and Ranganadi because of the NEEPCO�s Ranganadi dam and the massive deforestation in Arunachal Pradesh for the construction of roads of 2700 km to the dam site. He said that Assam would get only 1.25 MW of power produced in Gerukamukh plant instead of receiving 12 per cent of the total production. Akhil Gogoi also referred to other power plants of Assam like the thermal plant in Lakuwa, Namrup and small hydro-electrical plant in Karbi-Longpi which had produced 340 MW of power while the plants in Bongaigaon, Margherita, Amguri, Chandrapur and Katahalguri 1421 MW of power which were either made defunct or sold to other PSUs to make way to NHPC�s dam in Gerukamukh. On asked about the delayed awareness of the public in responding to KMSS�s anti-dam call, Akhil Gogoi said that the public now are very much aware of the danger of the dam on their lives in the downstream areas of Assam and announced a programme of opposing the installation of power distribution cable towers across the State. He appealed the public not to allow the construction of the power cable towers on their lands.
Stressing the fact that the turbines won�t be allowed to move further the KMSS leader announced an anti-dam week in Lakhimpur and Dehemaji district from tomorrow to oppose the construction of dam in Gerukamukh. He also condemned the brutal police assault on the anti-dam activists in Lakhimpur district on last Wednesday and asked the public to lit lamps and candles in Naamghars and mosques to bring good sense to the mind of the government over this issue.
