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No plan to stop ongoing work

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 13 � The State Government has no plan to stop the ongoing work on the Lower Subansiri Hydro-electric Project pending report from any expert group constituted for assessing adverse impacts of the project.

Stating this before media persons today, Cultural Affairs Minister and Government spokesperson Bharat Chandra Narah said that the State Government was in favour of more expert opinion on the issue of big dams, including the Lower Subansiri project.

The State Government will be convening a meeting of experts on dams in Guwahati on December 17.

�We have no proposal to keep in abeyance the work on the Lower Subansiri project pending report from any expert committee. However, we will go by the recommendations of the proposed multi-disciplinary expert committee and not against it,� Narah said, adding that if the proposed expert committee�s opinion goes against the project, �there is no reason why we cannot dismantle the Lower Subansiri structure in the greater interest of the people.�

It may be recalled that many organizations and political parties have been calling for keeping the Lower Subansiri project work in abeyance till experts come up with a definitive view.

Narah said that over 50 per cent work of the controversial Lower Subansiri project had been completed.

On the recommendations of the first expert committee constituted by the State Government, the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) and the project-implementing agency, the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) � whose recommendations have gone against the Lower Subansiri project at its present location and within its present structure � Narah said that the State Government would seek �further expert opinion� on the matter from every possible angle.

He said that this was necessary to find out drawbacks, if any, in the first expert committee�s report.

The minister also accused the AGP of having double standards on the issue of mega dams � supporting or opposing dams as per their convenience and political interests.

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