AGSU raises Arunachal dam issue at Shillong consultative meet ITANAGAR, Jul 25: All Galo Students’ Union (AGSU) team led by Reken Ingo attended the two days consultative meet on mega dams organized by North East Dialogue Forum at Shillong, Meghalaya on July 23 and 24. While addressing the meeting, Reken informed about reckless signing of MOUs and MOAs with various power developers for construction dams in Arunachal Pradesh by the State Government without observing any formality with clear violation of UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights. Informing the number of hydro-electric projects that are coming up in Arunachal Pradesh, he informed that the state government has signed a more than 150 hydro-electric power projects with different power developers out of which more than 15 projects are going to be constructed at Siyom and Yomgo Basin. “Right from Kamba ADC headquarter circle to Nyiko-Bango including Aalo township is predominant by the indigenous tribe Galo. But it is surprised to know that how the state government has executed the MOUs and MOAs without any knowledge of the indigenous population living in the downstream of the proposed projects, Reken said and sought the suggestions on legal aspects of the issue. Informing that NE including Arunachal falls under most seismically active Zone V, he presented the data of past mega earthquakes experienced by the people of the region through Power-Point presentation. He also informed that about 15-20 dams are proposed to be built in one of the highest seismically active area and an earthquake measuring more than 7 in Richter scale may trigger catastrophe. He also informed that 99 percent people of Yomgo-Siyom will badly affected by the dams, if implemented since they are fully dependent on agriculture activity only. It will also affect the eco-system, bio-diversity of the area. Representatives from Bangladesh, Abu Raihan M Khalid, Advocate Supreme Court of Bangladeh and Rowshan Jahan Moni, Deputy Director, Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), presented a Power-Point presentation on various dams coming up in North-East India with special reference to Tipaimukh Dam in Manipur and dams in Arunachal Pradesh. They expressed concern over negative impacts of mega dams on the people of Bangladesh since the country shares a 54 lower riparian trans-boundary river with India and coming up of many big dams in NE region would badly affects the livelihood of Bangladeshi people. The two days meeting was attended by representatives from various organisations, including Centre for Social Development, Manipur (CSD), Citizens’ Concern for Dam and Development, Manipur (CCDD), Social Action Development Organisation, Manipur (SADO), Society of Activist for Forest & Environment, Cachar (SAFE), All Galo Students’ Union (AGSU), Siang Bachao Federation, Arunachal (SBF), Committee on Peoples & Environment, Silchar (COPE) and Association for Land Reform and Development, Bangladesh (ALRD).
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 04:54:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015