• Several Assam organisations announce joint movement against NHPC big dam

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    Several Assam organisations announce joint movement against NHPC big dam

    Guwahati: Around 22 organisations from Assam will begin a joint movement from September 20, against the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power (NHPC), raising voice against the contentious 2,000 MW capacity hydropower project that is being set up along the Arunachal Pradesh-Assam border.





    The protest will see the participation of several organizations that will be led by Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP). “There will be a series of protests, including blockade of the project site, against the NHPC,” said Palash Changmai, leader of AJYCP on Monday.





    The AJYCP, a strong critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party, organised a public meeting where various experts, including geologists and hydrologists, had highlighted a threat to downstream areas of the Subansiri river.





    The AJYCP leader said work on the project was resumed without consulting 965 villages across four districts downstream of the hydroelectric project.

    The 22 organisations which are opposing the mega power plant, include the influential All Assam Students' Union and All Assam Adivasi Students' Association whose leaders had attended the Saturday meeting.





    Work resumed on the construction of the Rs 20,000 crore power project more than a year ago during the Covid-19 induced lockdown. There was a barrage of protests from various organizations and locals who highlighted the loss and damages the people would face if the hydroper power project is instituted.