PM must review all Arunachal dams: Gogoi

NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for a review of the over 100 dams planned in Arunachal Pradesh and a comprehensive assessment of their impact downstream on Assam.

Gogoi warned that the 100-plus dams Arunchal Pradesh is planning would lead to "flash floods in the downstream areas of Assam when there is sudden and excessive discharge of waters after heavy rainfall". His letter to the PM comes after environment minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to the PM alerting him to the dangers of the Arunachal dams. Following this, Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorjee Khandu had written to the PM in favour of the dams.

The PM has twice cancelled meetings of a group of ministers on the issue as a reaction to Ramesh's letter and Khandu met the environment minister after that. Ramesh is expected to visit Arunachal soon. Gogoi's letter is timed months before the slated state assembly elections and against the backdrop of a growing movement in the state that every party is trying to appropriate. Using the "downstream effects" logic, Gogoi's letter also asked for a greater share of the 12% free power from the projects that is given to the states.