Move to approach court against NEEPCO

Move to approach court against NEEPCO

GUWAHATI, July 7 – Residents of Bihpuria in Lakhimpur district have decided to take the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) authorities to the court. A public meeting organised by the voluntary organisation Dikrong Upatyaka Suraksha Samiti (DUSS), took the above decision yesterday resenting the alleged attempts made by the Central Sector power company to hoodwink the people on release of excess water from the dams of its power projects. The meeting was held at the Bihpuria Girls’ High School under the presidentship of Golok Hazarika.

Sudden release of water to the Ranganadi and Dikrong rivers from the dam of the Ranganadi Hydro-electric Power Project without prior notice had caused large-scale devastation to the downstream areas and this became more pronounced during the mid-June, 2008 floods, said the participants of the meeting.

Apprising this newspaper of the feelings of the participants, DUSS general secretary

Dulal Chandra Mahanta said that the participants described the NEEPCO as the main culprit, as, along with the Governments at the Centre and in the State, it had been playing down the grievances of the people of North Lakhimpur and Bihpuria and carrying out the practice causing losses to theses people.

The meeting, besides deciding in favour of a court case against the NEEPCO authorities, also resolved to stage a dharna at Dispur Last Gate during the next session of the Assam Assembly and to submit memoranda to the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on the issue.

It also demanded relief and rehabilitation to those affected by the floods this time, free seeds to the farmers and immediate repair of the roads damaged by floods, among others, said Mahanta.

Both the general secretaries of the Samiti Dulal Chandra Mahanta and Golap Saikia, environmental scientist Dr Parth Jyoti Das, researcher Mandira Hazarika, Bihpuria MLA Bhupen Bora, ex-MLA from Bihpuria Kesharam Bora, ex-principal of Bihpuria Collegiate H S School Dimba Sonowal and Ex-principal of Bihpuria LDHS School Kamaleswar Satola addressed the meeting.


River Basin Friends
AKAJAN
District-Dhemaji.787059.
Assam. India