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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
From murders to extortion, criminal threat looms over liquor vend auctions in Haryana
1 2 Chandigarh: Murders of two liquor contractors within a week's time and extortion calls being made to those participating in the auction of liquor vends, has invited sharp criticism for BJP govt in Haryana from the opposition. A liquor contractor in Kurukshetra, Shantanu, was killed on June 13, as he defied threats from gangsters and successfully bid for a liquor vend. The second murder took place this Friday evening when a Jind-based contractor, Virender Singh, was shot dead, just hours after police claimed have nabbed the killers of the first contractor. Former CM Bhupinder Hooda said the BJP govt seemed to have given the keys of maintaining law and order to criminals. "Crime is so out of control. Shootings and murders have now become a part of people's daily routine. The murder of a businessman in Jind's Kharkaramji village has once again made it clear there is not 'BJP Raj', but 'Gunda Raj' in Haryana," he stated. Former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala too expressed concern over worsening law and order in Haryana. He said warnings issued by the chief minister to criminals through posters have become mere media stunts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indiana: The Truth Behind Overpriced Massage Chairs Relaxe Learn More Undo "On the ground, the reality is starkly different – criminals are carrying out violent crimes in broad daylight with impunity, and ordinary citizens are living in constant fear," said the functionary of Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which was in an alliance with the BJP in the previous term. Virender's murder assumes came a day after CM Nayab Saini had directed police to initiate campaigns to weed out gangsters and ensure the safety and security of contractors. The CM's directions came during a meeting with excise officials and the home department. Until the last financial year, there were reports of liquor contractors being threatened or forced to pay extortion by gangsters. There were districts where gangsters were even found to have some interest in vends. However, this time, the active involvement of gangsters and their threats started soon after the govt announced the process of auctioning new vends in April. The glaring examples are incidents of firing outside liquor vends in Rohtak and Yamunanagar in April and May, respectively. "Haryana Police have various branches like CIA, STF, and intelligence in addition to their own system. Have all the systems failed, or have the police failed to give adequate input or action, or are the cops bound not to act?" questioned a former liquor contractor, who chose to stay away from the process this year.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Operation Sindoor not over, paused after Pakistan pleading: Rajnath Singh
UDHAMPUR/SRINAGAR: Operation Sindoor was paused only after Pakistan pleaded for a ceasefire, defence minister Rajnath Singh said Saturday, adding that the operation was not over yet, and India was ready to take any action against terrorism. Addressing troops of Army's Udhampur-based Northern Command on the 11th International Day of Yoga, Singh said: "Operation Sindoor is the natural progression of surgical strike of 2016 and the airstrike of 2019. It was executed in such a way that Pakistan requested for a ceasefire, and only then we put a pause. As I have said earlier, Operation Sindoor is not over yet. India is fully prepared to take all kinds of action against terrorism. " Singh warned Pakistan that the military operation - a response to the Pahalgam attack - was a clear message that it will face the consequences for supporting terror activities against India. Stating that the country's social and communal unity was targeted through the Pahalgam attack, Singh asserted that Operation Sindoor had conveyed to Pakistan that its policy of bleeding India with thousand cuts would not succeed. Pakistan wanted to weaken India from within, but it should never forget that just like Major Somnath Sharma, Brigadier Usman, too, had sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of the country, Singh said. Singh appreciated the inclination of the armed forces towards yoga, saying it had a direct impact on their discipline and focus. "Yoga gives clarity to the people in chaos. It is an art, science, philosophy and spirituality. It makes us proactive, not reactive."
New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Indus water pact with Pakistan ‘will never be restored', says Amit Shah
India has made it clear that it will not reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, which was suspended following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack, which killed several civilians, including tourists, was backed by Pakistan-based groups, though Pakistan has denied any involvement. In an interview published Saturday in the Times of India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ruled out any possibility of resuming the 1960 treaty, terming it unfair to India. 'It will never be restored,' Shah said. 'We will take the water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.' The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, allocated the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) to Pakistan and the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) to India. It also provided for cooperative arrangements on hydropower and irrigation between the two neighbours.
