Shillong, July 5: The Joint Action Committee wanted scrapping of construction of a dam over Umngot river by the state government for the power project.
The dam is proposed for Umngot hydro electric project.
The JAC held a meeting in this regard at KSU office, Jaiaw on Monday.
The JAC vice chairman Pynskhem Mukhim said the people from villages along the Umngot river had opposed the plan to build the dam.
The project covers both East Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills.
According to Mukhim, the state pollution control board had given a wrong figure of 1,138 affected households from East Khasi Hills.
Infact, many households have not been included and around 400 hectares of land would submerge under water if the dam is constructed’, he said.
The JAC leader also wondered as to the status of memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on the need to scrap the project as it is yet to get any reply.
“We will not now discuss about the project with the chief minster and our only demand will be to scrap the project, We will not depend on any clarification on the project by the government because we have already understood its impact on the livelihood of the people who are depending on agriculture and tourism, but we want to hear from the government only the news that the Umngot project would be scrapped,” the JSU president, Trebor Suchen, said.
According to Suchen, if the government wants to tap hydro electric projects, it can concentrate on Myntdu-Leshka stage-II and others without hampering people’s livelihood.
Regarding any signature campaign to apprise the Centre on the project, Suchen said the matter has not reached that level.
The JAC leader asserted that all options will be adopted to scrap the project.
