- NET Web Desk
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) recently announced that the 2000-MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project located at Gerukamukh in Lakhimpur district along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border will be operational from August 2022, as informed by the NHPC Ltd.
The announcement for the construction of this project came days after All Assam Students Union (AASU) staged a statewide demonstration to halt construction of this dam, which is believed to pose severe impact on the lives of those residing downstream.
Currently under construction, the project will generate annual power capacity of 7421.59 Million Units (MU).
According to TOI report, the CMD of NHPC, AK Singh on Tuesday assured the visiting Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy (2021-22) that “major components of this project will be ready in due course so that two units (500 MW) of this concerned project gets commissioned by August next year.
Construction for the Hydroelectric project was ceased after tripartite talks were undertaken between the state government, AASU and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in 2006.
But the sudden resumption of its work have led AASU to hold statewide protests, which asserted to hold the protests until state government initiate some appropriate measures.
Based on statement by a AASU leader, a panel incorporating of experts from Gauhati University, Dibrugarh University and IIT Guwahati earlier revealed that such projects are not suitable for Assam – an earthquake prone state.
Along with AASU, other organizations such as – Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) also urged concerned authorities for the termination of this project.
Approved by the Central Government in 2003, the proposed project was scheduled for completion by 2014, but continuous opposition from various organizations led to its halt.