AJYCP activists stage protests against Lower Subansiri project at Gerukamukh on Monday.

The members of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Parichad (AJYP) protested against the Lower Subansiri Hydro Electrical Power project at Gerukamukh in Lakhimpur district along Arunachal Pradesh border.

The agitators gathered at the Chauldhowaghat of the river Subansiri and protested against the construction of the dam by standing on the knee-deep water of the river.

The protest was part of a series of agitations launched by AJYCP against LSHEP at Gerukamukh since last week.

The agitators also took pledge to preserve the natural form of the river from the dangers posed by the construction of dam.

They also reiterated their demand to scrap the project for the ‘sake of the safety and security’ of the people living on the downstream areas of the Subansiri in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Majuli districts.

The Lower Subansiri project has been stuck for the past eight years following stiff opposition from various organizations of the state.

The NHPC had earlier said the dam has been designed and strengthened to withstand seismic activity up to a magnitude of 8 on the Richter Scale, which will make it one of the strongest dams in India.

The height of the dam, which was initially planned to be 257 metres, was reduced to 116 metres amid safety concerns.

Once commissioned, the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project at Gerukamukh in Dhemaji district is going to become the largest hydropower project of the country with an installed capacity of 2,000 MW and annual energy generation of 7,421.59 million units.

Farhana Ahmed is Northeast Now Correspondent in North Lakhimpur. She can be reached at: [email protected]