8 months ago
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Several tribal groups person renewed their absorption to the 55 megawatt Ukiam hydropower task planned jointly by the governments of Assam and Meghalaya connected the Kulsi River, a earthy situation of the endangered Gangetic stream dolphin.
The dam for the task is planned astatine the confluence of the Dron, Shree, and Dilma Rivers, which signifier the Kulsi. The determination is connected the Assam-Meghalaya border, astir 80 km southwest of Guwahati.
Hundreds of villagers, who volition beryllium affected by the project, gathered astatine the Ukiam picnic spot connected Thursday (September 25, 2025) to underscore the adverse interaction of the dam connected the ecology and livelihoods. The Assam-Meghalaya Joint Protection Committee, comprising groups specified arsenic the Garo National Council (GNC) and the Rabha National Council (RNC), organised the protestation meeting.
Vowing to defy the task “under immoderate circumstances”, GNC president Enindra Marak said the enactment connected the task could beryllium deliberately delayed until aft the 2026 Assembly polls. “The 2 State governments assertion that lone astir 15 villages would beryllium affected. This is misleading; the interaction volition widen from the hills of Meghalaya to the Brahmaputra,” helium said.
The Kulsi is simply a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
The RNC’s main convenor, Gobinda Rabha, said immoderate 1.9 lakh bighas (25,418 hectares) of onshore would beryllium mislaid if the task materialises. He accused the Assam authorities of ignoring indigenous voices to propulsion the task successful tribal areas without section consent.
“The Kulsi hydropower task volition origin irreversible ecological harm similar 2 different projects being pursued by the Assam authorities successful this region,” helium said. The projects helium referred to are the Dorabeel Logistics Park astatine Kukurmara-Palashbari and a outer township astatine Borduar, some adjacent Guwahati.
The Assam-Meghalaya Joint Protection Committee leaders lamented the indifference of the 2 governments to respective memorandums submitted against the Kulsi project. The Meghalaya portion of the task is somewhat insulated, arsenic the onshore tenure strategy empowers lone the accepted chiefs to springiness a no-objection certificate.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K. Sangma announced the program for the 55 MW hydropower and irrigation task aft a gathering connected June 2 to resoluteness disputes on the 885-km interstate border. Of the 12 disputed sectors on this border, six areas of quality were resolved done an statement successful March 2022.
“The 2 governments volition instrumentality up the 55 MW Kulsi task aft consultations with the section people. The task is envisaged to make energy for the 2 States, portion Assam volition payment from its irrigation part,” Mr. Sarma told journalists 4 months ago.
