Assam, Meghalaya to set up joint hydel project
The Assam and Meghalaya governments have decided to set up a 55-megawatt hydropower and irrigation project apart from addressing the issue of urban floods in Guwahati jointly.
The two States, which have been trying to resolve their 52-year-old boundary dispute, also decided to erect boundary pillars in five of the six disputed sites, and target the sixth after settling some 'land adjustment' issues.
The decisions were taken during a meeting between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K. Sangma in Guwahati on Monday.
'The two governments will take up the 55 MW Kulsi hydropower-cum-irrigation project after consultations with the local people. The project is envisaged to generate electricity for the two States while Assam will benefit from the irrigation part of it,' Mr. Sarma told journalists.
The Kulsi river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra to the west of Guwahati, flows down from the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The river is a major nesting site for the Gangetic river dolphin.
Tackling Guwahati floods
'The two other important topics of discussion were resolving the long-pending boundary dispute and the issue of urban flooding in Guwahati. After our presentations, the Meghalaya government agreed that a huge volume of water floods Guwahati and adjoining areas,' Mr. Sarma said.
'We decided to let the North East Space Application Centre conduct a proper satellite mapping of the areas within three months, following which we will approach the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, for a solution that minimises flooding in Assam while safeguarding the livelihood and economic activities in Meghalaya,' Mr. Sangma said.
The Assam Chief Minister has been blaming the flattening of hills in Meghalaya, specifically for a medical college run by the Assam-based Mahbubul Haque, for the floods in Guwahati.
Boundary dispute
On the 52-year-old boundary dispute between the two States, Mr. Sarma said an agreement on six of the 12 disputed sectors was reached in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in March 2022. 'We will continue to talk on the remaining disputed sites and try to arrive at a solution as soon as possible,' he said.
'Of the six sectors already resolved, we are confident of erecting boundary pillars in five of them by August 15. There are a couple of land adjustment issues at Tarabari and Gizang,' Mr. Sarma said.
'The Meghalaya government requested us to adjust these areas. We have decided to consider the request and respond within a week. This entails readjusting some villages in favour of Meghalaya after an equal portion of land is given to Assam,' he said.
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