OUR CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR: In a strong show of dissent, the Tezpur District Committee of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Monday organized a three-hour-long sit-in demonstration near Tezpur Court Chariali. The protest was part of the organization’s ongoing state-wide agitation against large dams and to raise awareness about the devastating impact of annual erosion and floods in Assam.
The protesters reiterated their demand for the immediate scrapping of the hydro-electric power projects, a long-standing and controversial issue in Assam. The agitators highlighted the environmental and geological risks posed by the mega-dam project, especially to the fragile ecology of the Eastern Himalayan region and the downstream areas of Assam. They argued that the project threatens both human habitation and biodiversity in the region. In addition, the AJYCP strongly called for recognition of the recurring erosion and floods in Assam as a national problem, urging the central government to allocate resources and frame long-term policies for sustainable flood management. They emphasized that floods in Assam are not merely seasonal inconveniences but major disasters that displace lakhs of people every year, destroy cropland, and claim lives and livelihoods. The demonstration was led by AJYCP Tezpur District Committee President Nripen Nath and General Secretary Jitu Talukdar, who vocally criticized the central and state governments, as well as the Prime Minister, for their alleged apathy towards the issues plaguing Assam. The protestors raised slogans expressing dissatisfaction with current policies and demanded urgent intervention to address the state’s environmental concerns.
As part of the programme, a memorandum detailing their demands was submitted to the Prime Minister through the District Commissioner of Sonitpur. Their demands included a stop to construction of dams, besides a permanent solution to the problem of floods and resultant land erosion.
The AJYCP made it clear that such protests will continue across various districts of Assam until their demands are addressed seriously by the authorities.
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