GUWAHATI, June 5 � Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reiterated that the Government of Assam is for the welfare of the people and the government would not endorse any project which would not benefit the people as a whole.
According to an official press release here, reacting to a news report today, Gogoi said that the Centre has not arrived at a consensus with Government of Assam regarding the 9,600 MW Middle Siang Project and it has not discussed on the issue with the State government.
�The present government always stands for the welfare of people and it accords topmost priority to the hopes and aspirations of the people of the State,� Gogoi said, adding, �We have not received any formal communication from the Centre regarding construction of the proposed Middle Siang Project�.
Meanwhile, Minister for Water Resources Basanta Das also reiterated that the Centre�s claim of building consensus with the Government of Assam on the Middle Siang Hydroelectric Project was completely baseless and concocted. He said that the Ministry of Water Resources did not make any correspondence for arriving at a consensus with the State on the issue and the State Water Resources Department has not given any formal consent on taking up the construction of the Middle Siang Project.
AASU: The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today voiced its total opposition to the bid of the Central government to construct the Middle Siang Hydel Project and reiterated its demand for scientific studies prior to taking up construction of any of the mega hydel project proposed in Arunachal Pradesh.
KMSS: The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has, in a statement, described the assertion of the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti that the Middle Siang project would solve the flood problem of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh as mean trick to hoodwink the people of the region. Nowhere on earth, mega dam projects have been able to solve the problem of flood; rather such projects have been adding to the problem, it said and condemned the �anti-national� roles of Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju, the two Union Ministers from the NE region.
