Tamenglong, May 22: Giving a boost to the movement to prevent construction of Tipaimukh Dam a leaders' meet was convened at the district headquarters' indoor stadium today.

The session conducted as part of the ongoing movement to stop the construction of the controversial project was jointly organised by Action Committee Against Tipaimukh Project (ACTIP) and Zeliangrong Union (assam, Manipur & Nagaland) with Tamenglong ADM RH Gonmei (MCS) and ACTIP convenor Nanda Kamei as the chief guest and president respectively.

Vice president of ZU Adi Remei was the guest of honour.

Delivering the key note address, ACTIP co-convenor O Bikramjit ridiculed the NEEPCO and state Government for signing an agreement to activate the dam works even as demand for compensation to farmers affected by the Loktak project is a raging issue.

Concerned with similar disparity likely to be faced by villagers whose land would be submerged once the dam is built, anti-dam activists have been launching a sustained movement since March 7, the key-note addresser said.

He also referred to survey report of Central Water Commission some 25 years back regarding submergence of 168 villages and 275 sq kms of land in case Tipaimukh Dam takes shape.

Even though a second survey report by the same Commission had trimmed the number of villages to be affected by the dam to 80, another finding of NEEPCO listed only 15 villages, the co-convenor highlighted.

Detailing more references from the State Government, Bikramjit recalled of a State Cabinet decision in 1995 and adoption of a resolution by the State Assembly three years later against the launching of the multi-purpose project.

Contending that consequences of going ahead with the project would bring in more misery and ecological damage to the people and land rather than benefit, the co-convenor questioned the objective of the Govt-NEEPCO deal.

The project site falls within a volatile seismic zone.

Addressing the meeting, Nanda Kamei pointed out that the decibel of anti-dam voices is gaining strength each passing day as organisations concerned with the people's plight are galvanising energy into a mass movement under the banner of the Action Committee rather than rely on issuance of condemnation statements.

recalling the anti-dam public rally taken out on May 3 and resolutions to oppose construction activities in subsequent meeting, Kamei also called upon the leaders' meet participants to chalk out programmes for intensifying the ongoing anti-dam movement.

As resource persons, director (CORE) Dr Debavarta Roy Laiphungbam, secretary of Agent for social Change N Gokulchandra and Prof S Ibotombi of Earth Science Department (MU) respectively deliberated on the topics 'Indigenous Identity & Cultural heritage, and People's Movement for Preservation', 'Impacts and Consequences of Tipaimukh Dam on Environment and forests', and Geological and Seismological Factors on Tipaimukh Project site'.

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