A CORRESPONDENT
PALASBARI: Widespread opposition erupted against the proposed 55-megawatt hydropower-cum-irrigation project on the Kulsi River following a recent meeting between Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma at Koinadhara Guest House.
During the meeting, the two state chief ministers reportedly agreed to move forward with the controversial project, which has triggered strong reactions from local organisations.
At a press conference held at the central office of the Chhaygaon Anchalik Rabha Students' Union in Rehabari, several Rabha community organisations, including the Rabha Mahila Parishad and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, voiced fierce opposition to the proposed dam on Friday.
ARSU central committee Vice-President Pradip Rabha expressed deep resentment towards both state governments and called for an immediate rollback of the decision.
The student body warned that if the project is not cancelled, it will launch a large-scale democratic protest in collaboration with the local populace. A major protest has been scheduled for June 9 in Ukium, a village along the Assam-Meghalaya border, with participation from various ethnic and indigenous groups.
Speaking at the press meet, Rabha stated that the hydropower project posed a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of the people of the region. He emphasised the ecological and cultural importance of the Kulsi River, which branches out into Kukurmara and Chhaygaon before further splitting and flowing through Hatigarh and Kharkhori. The river, he said, is the lifeline of the greater South Kamrup region.
He warned that the construction of a 62-metre-high concrete dam would not only endanger the area's biodiversity but also put iconic species like the Gangetic dolphin at risk. He said that the project was also expected to have negative consequences on the ecologically significant Chandubi Lake. He added that sudden water releases from the dam could devastate homes, farmland, and livestock in downstream communities.
The Rabha Students' Union urged the government not to carry out projects that could harm local residents and instead called for the implementation of the Sixth Schedule in the region rather than a proposed satellite township.
President of the Chhaygaon ARSU, Laskar Rabha, confirmed that the June 9 protest at Ukium will see the participation of multiple communities as a united stand against the hydropower project.
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