AJYCP Demands Scrapping of Lower Subansiri Dam After NHPC Halts Upper Project

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Sunday renewed its demand for scrapping the 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri mega hydroelectric project at Gerukamukh after NHPC recently suspended construction of the Upper Subansiri project citing security concerns.

Reacting to the development, AJYCP central committee president Palash Changmai and general secretary Bijan Bayen, in a press statement, said the decision to halt the Upper Subansiri project vindicates long-standing concerns raised by experts and local residents regarding the safety of large dams on the Subansiri river.

The organisation said NHPC was forced to stop work on the Upper Subansiri project following objections from sections of the local population and expert reports declaring the project unsafe. However, it termed it “deeply unfortunate” that similar warnings and sustained mass movements against the Lower Subansiri mega dam have consistently been ignored.

The AJYCP pointed out that opposition to the Lower Subansiri project dates back to the time construction began, with nationalist organisations and people across Assam launching widespread protests demanding its cancellation. The group recalled that the project was initiated during the Congress regime and that the BJP, while in opposition, had actively opposed the dam.

“After assuming power, the BJP government made a complete U-turn, not only backing the mega dam but also suppressing all anti-dam movements with force and intimidation,” the statement alleged.

Highlighting safety concerns, the AJYCP said experts had repeatedly warned that the Lower Subansiri project is located in a seismically sensitive zone and is being constructed on fragile Arunachal Himalayan terrain, posing a serious threat to life, property and ecology downstream in Assam.

The organisation further claimed that a government-appointed expert committee comprising environmentalists, geologists and other specialists had concluded that the project was unsafe. “Despite the grave findings, the report was never made public in a deliberate attempt to mislead the people,” the statement alleged.

Although the government has completed construction of the dam by suppressing public opposition, the project remains far from fully operational due to serious construction flaws, the AJYCP claimed. While designed to generate 2,000 MW of power, the project is currently producing only around 600 MW, allegedly due to defective and substandard construction.

The group also claimed that the government has indirectly acknowledged the project’s shortcomings. It recalled that NHPC had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the dam earlier, but the proposed inauguration was cancelled after an Intelligence Bureau report reportedly flagged safety concerns, leading the Prime Minister’s Office to withdraw the event.

Serious allegations of construction norm violations and large-scale irregularities have also been levelled against NHPC. According to the AJYCP, incidents such as the collapse of guard walls, tunnel blockages and structural damage have occurred even during normal rainfall, raising serious questions about the quality of construction.

Warning of catastrophic consequences, the organisation said the devastation caused by smaller hydropower projects during the recent monsoon has already demonstrated the dangers of unregulated water release. “If a mega project like Lower Subansiri becomes fully operational, the scale of destruction it could unleash is beyond imagination,” the leaders said.

The AJYCP argued that if NHPC can halt the Upper Subansiri project due to protests by a limited number of people and concerns for employee safety, there is no justification for continuing the Lower Subansiri mega dam, which threatens the lives, property and biodiversity of crores of people living downstream in Assam.

“The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad is categorical, the flawed and unsafe Lower Subansiri mega dam must be scrapped,” the statement concluded.

Also Read: NHPC Halts Upper Subansiri Dam Work, Uncertainty Looms Over Lower Subansiri Project