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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Dam parleys begin today

Dam parleys begin today

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published Published on Jan 5, 2012   modified Modified on Jan 5, 2012

-The Telegraph


The stage is set for tomorrow’s talks between Dispur and the anti-big dam brigade. The lead players are, however, keeping their cards close to their chests.

Sources in the chief minister’s office said the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP), Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and the Mising Mimag Kebang (MMK) had welcomed the group of ministers’ offer for talks with an open mind and had confirmed their participation.

The AASU also made a formal request this afternoon to allow representatives of 26 ethnic and students’ organisations to accompany it. The group of ministers, however, turned it down this evening. The group’s chairman and Assam power minister, Pradyut Bordoloi, told The Telegraph that they had decided to stick to the declared schedule and the list of invitee organisations given the short notice and for the sake of meaningful and constructive dialogue.

“We have invited the major groups for now…we will also hear out the experts and civil society members. If required, we will talk to other organisations at a later stage since we are going into the talks with a very open mind. We sincerely want to end the standoff and move on,” Bordoloi said.

The meeting will be held at the chief secretary’s conference hall.

It is understood that Dispur, which wanted to see the blockade peter out on its own, is now keen to bring everyone on board in accordance with the Centre’s wishes.

Arunachal Pradesh has been seeking Delhi’s intervention in ending the blockade, which has been disrupting supplies to the neighbouring state. Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki and MP Takam Sanjay had met Union power minister Sushil Shinde on December 28. Since then Dispur has become more accommodating towards the protesters. Sanjay, who had sought a ban on the KMSS over its alleged Maoist links last week, today said all differences could be resolved through talks.

Dispur and the anti-big dam lobby were busy finalising strategies for the talks throughout the day but divulged little, fearing an adverse impact on the talks.

At a public meeting organised by the KMSS and attended by seven parties at Ghagar in Lakhimpur this morning, the AJYCP, TMPK and the MMK decided to air one view on certain issues during the talks since they would be meeting the group of ministers separately.

In a hotel in the city, the AASU leadership, comprising adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya, president Shankar Prasad Ray and general secretary Tapan Gogoi, held discussions with the 26 organisations supporting the anti-big dam movement.

AJYCP general secretary Manoj Baruah said over phone from Lakhimpur, “We welcome the government’s positive approach and will not set any precondition as it might impact the talks. We will wait for the outcome of the talks before declaring our next step. The blockade has been temporarily suspended.”

KMSS leader Bedanta Laskar and AASU leader Tularam Gogoi, who have been active players in the protests at Lakhimpur, did not divulge much either. They just said that work on the project should be suspended till the negotiations were on.

The KMSS also wants the work on Lower Subansiri hydel project at Gerukamukh in Arunachal Pradesh to be stopped — an indication that the protesters would return to their old ways if nothing constructive came out of the talks tomorrow or if the government used the talks only to convey its seriousness, buy time and discredit the protesters.

However, all the sides appeared positive on the eve of talks. The AASU adviser told this correspondent that today’s meeting was of the opinion that safeguarding the interests of Assam could be found through discussions. “The organisations will also hold a meeting tomorrow after the talks with the group of ministers,” he said.

Appreciating Dispur’s gesture in holding the talks, environmental organisations, comprising Aaranyak, ATREE, Eco-systems India, WWF-India and Dolphin Foundation, requested all the parties involved in the discussions to seriously consider the ecological consequences of the project both upstream and downstream with utmost urgency and ensure mitigation measures against all observed and possible detrimental impacts.

B. Talukdar of Aaranyak said, “The talks should go beyond the mandate of Lower Subansiri project, adopting a broader framework to consider the ecological context of all the proposed hydro projects in the Brahmaputra basin during the negotiations.”

The NHPC general manager for Lower Subansiri project, Om Prakash, told this correspondent, “We have not been called for talks as it depends on the strategy of the government. It is good that talks are starting and we are there for any clarifications required.”

As things stand today, the group of ministers will hear out the protesting groups and convey their apprehensions to Dispur, Delhi and NHPC for corrective measures, the sources said.

“There are two probable scenarios after the talks. One, the protesters call off their agitation simply on the basis of the group of ministers’ sincere assurances. Secondly, since the group of ministers will not be in a position to make any commitment on stopping work either on the NHPC project or in Arunachal, it will request the protesters to call off their agitation till the reports of the two expert groups comes out by the end of the month. Lobbing the ball in the experts’ court seems to be the only way out for both sides as no side can afford to allow the situation to drift,” a source said.


The Telegraph, 5 January, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120105/jsp/frontpage/story_14965638.jsp


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