Guwahati: The All-Assam Students Union (AASU) has served a week's ultimatum on the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) to undertake a downstream impact study of the 2000 megawatt Subansiri Lower Hydro-Electric project by a panel of experts suggested by the students' body or face a vigorous revived movement.

The AASU also announced the first phase of its agitation beginning on May 4 if the NHPC failed to respond positively by May 1.

AASU adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya and general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi on Thursday alleged that the NHPC had gone back on its commitment given at a tripartite meeting held between the students' body, the Assam Government and the NHPC held on December 8 last to undertake a study of the possible impact of the Subansiri project on the lives and properties of people living downstream.

The NHPC also agreed not to start the construction work of the main dam till the downstream impact study was carried out, the AASU claimed.

The AASU leaders claimed that the NHPC agreed to entrust the task to a panel of experts to be drawn from Gauhati University, Indian Institute of Technology and Dibrugarh University.

Accordingly, the AASU submitted a list of six experts from these three institutions. Mr. Bhattacharyya alleged that though the list along with terms of reference submitted by the AASU was forwarded to the NHPC, the public enterprise entrusted the study only to an IIT expert.

The AASU demanded the NHPC honour its commitment given at the tripartite meeting and appoint the experts from all the three institutions to ensure transparency.

For development

"We are not against development. We want development. But there must be transparency. The NHPC project has given rise to apprehension of an adverse impact on the lives and properties of people downstream. Hence, before proceeding with the project the NHPC must carryout the impact study in a transparent manner," they nsisted.

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