Students rally against Timpaimukh dam
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 22 2012:
Students took out a cycle rally at Moirang in Bishnupur district today in protest against the proposal of constructing Tipaimukh dam and demanding review of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the government of Manipur and National Hydroelectric Project and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Ningam Limited in this regard.
Tipaimukh dam is proposed to be constructed at the confluence of Barak and Tuivai rivers.
The dam is expected to generate 1500 megawatt of power.
However, environmentalists have expressed concern over the impact of the dam on the socio-cultural and economic life of the people as well as on the existing pool of flora and fauna.
Organised jointly by five organsiations namely United Community Development Platform (UVDP), Moirang; People's Action for Development, Tiddim (PAD-T), Social Action Committee (SAC), Borayangbi Gram Panchayat and Bishnupur District Youth Council (BDYC), the cycle rally was flagged off from the campus of Moirang Multipurpose Higher Secondary School located at Moirang Lamkhai and snaked through Moirang Bazar, Thangjing Road, Moirang College Gate, Moirang Sribon Leikai, Kiyam and converged at Moirang Pologround (Chingmei ground) .
Students from six different schools of Moirang area namely Diligent Public School, Little Bird English School, Thoibi Quality English School, Hill Valley English School, Goodwill Little School and Advance Public School participated in the cycle rally carrying placards and festoons inscribed with slogans like 'We oppose construction of Tipaimukh Dam', 'Save people, save environment', 'Go back NHPC', 'We want no dam at the cost of our lives', 'Review MoU on Tipaimukh dam', 'No need for big dam in Northeast', 'Respect rights of indigenous people', etc.
Talking to mediapersons in connection with the protest rally, Secretary of UCDP Pukhram Inao categorically stated that even if the government of Manipur is saying that the construction of Tipaimukh dam is essential for generating 1500 megawatt of power to solve the problem of electricity in the state, people of Manipur could never accept it as the dam would cause suffering to half of the populations in the state.
Moreover, submergence of 25,422,22 paris of agricultural land would lead to a situation where there would be no food for the people to eat.
Construction of the dam would also result in felling down 78,00,000 trees and this would have serious impact on the environment, Inao contended.
Ridiculing the claim of the government of Manipur that the problem of electricity faced by the people would be solved after commissioning of Tipaimukh dam, Inao pointed out that the same promise had been given to the people at the time of construction of Loktak Hydro Electric Project, but the government has not been able to ensure regular power supply to the people till date.
Instead of constructing a large dam like Tipaimukh, why can't the government think of taking up micro-hydel projects at different places?, he questioned.
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