Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Development of Northeast Region (DoNER) V.K. Singh on Saturday alleged that some groups in Assam were opposing the construction of the 2,000 megawatt Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric project of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at Gerukamukh along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, out of “personal interests.”
In his maiden visit to the State, Mr. Singh called for going all out to convince the people that if the project came through it would benefit the people of Assam . He pointed out that while Assam had been reeling under an acute power shortage, 15 per cent free power from the 2,000 MW hydroelectric project could be shared between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh equally.
Addressing a press conference here the DoNER Minister said: “I know the interests of these groups. The answer lies in convincing the people of Assam about the benefits of the project. We need to put the facts before the people to enable them to take the right decision.” He, however, declined to name the groups.
Apart from the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, the Asom Gana Parishad and number of organisations, the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also been opposing the construction of the project without taking the people of Assam into confidence and expressing apprehension over the safety of the mega dam and also the possible adverse downstream impact in Assam.
Mr Singh, however, said he was not aware of the BJP’s position on the project, when journalists pointed out that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too had joined the protest. However, he insisted that there was no difference between the party and the new government at the Centre that great potential for hydropower existed in Arunachal Pradesh which should be harnessed for the benefit of the region.
When his attention was drawn to some experts expressing apprehension over the safety of the dam and the adverse downstream impact, the Union Minister said he had not seen the expert committee’s report, but discussed at length the issue with officials of the executing agencies and officials at the Ministry of Power.
Earlier in the day, addressing the inaugural session of the National Cold Chain Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the DoNER minister said people did not know that had there not been the Tehri dam, Rishikesh and some other towns would have been wiped out during the Uttarakhand flash floods. He said that the northeast region could reap benefits from its rich hydropower potential by harnessing and selling power to the rest of the country and also to the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar to increase inter-dependence and improve bilateral relations.
Last week, Union Minister of State (Independent charge) of Power, Coal, New and renewable energy Piyush Goyal assured the Minister of State (independent charge) for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports and the State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sarbananda Sonowal that no construction work on the Lower Subansiri hydro electric project would be undertaken till the concerns of various stakeholders of the project were addressed.
Mr Goyal also assured Mr Sonowal that a meeting of various stakeholders would be called shortly to discuss their concerns along with the experts in this field. Mr Sonowal had apprised Mr Goyal about the concerns of the people of Assam relating to the project and impressed upon him to hold consultations with all stakeholders and also with experts before making any move. Mr Goyal had earlier announced that the work on the project would resume within a week, which triggered protests in the State against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.
