Bangladesh: Tipaimukh dam protesters begin march to Indian border
Posted by Admin on August 9, 2009
Posted: 10:32a.m.
Dhaka, Aug 9 (IANS) A ‘long-march’ to protest the proposed Tipaimukh dam project in India has been kicked off in the Bangladeshi capital. The marchers are headed to Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh and then on to the Indian border, a media report said Sunday.
The ‘long march’ was flagged off Saturday and should reach Sylhet, located 272 km northeast of Dhaka, by Tuesday. The district borders India’s Assam and Meghalaya states.
‘It was announced at the rally that after reaching Sylhet, the participants would march on towards the border with India,’ The Daily Star reported Sunday.
Different groups have been protesting India’s plans to build a dam on Barak river at Tipaimukh in Manipur state.
Members of the Tipaimukh Bandh Protirodh Committee and Sylhet Bibhag Unnayan Sangram Parishad began their march from the capital’s Central Shaheed Minar, the national martyrs’ memorial, after a rally.
The march is aimed at creating awareness among the people against the construction of the Tipaimukh dam as well as to forge national unity on the issue, organisers said.
The march participants walked to Muktangon from the Shaheed Minar and later boarded a bus for Sylhet.
Related post: Manipuri Villagers uneasy with Tipaimukh dam
Imphal, August 08 2009: Villagers hanging of facing displacement by the construction of Tipaimukh dam are leading sleepless and uneasiness on thinking of their future life after the coming up of the dam. Manipur government, as a joint undertaking with Sultez Jal Bitan Nigam Limited and National Hydro-Electricity Project Corporation (NHEPC) is taking up the work of construction of Tipaimukh dam at an estimated cost of Rs 900 crore.
The dam of height 162.8 meter which would be constructed at the joining point of Barak River and Tuibai River located at border between Manipur and Mizoram will submerged not only the villages in the Tipaimukh area but also in the surrounding places. Villagers are feeling fear of losing their dwelling places and snatched away of their living ways.
In an interaction with the some villagers of villages located 326 kilometer from Imphal in interior Churachandpur district like Tipaimukh and Lungthulien villages, expressed strong opposition to the construction of the dam on backdrop of displacing them.
Ramingthang, a village fisherman said they the people of the area are living by earning livelihood with fishing at Barak and Tubai rivers and with the produces collected by the forest nearby. They used to sale fishes and forest produces at markets at Jiribam, Silcher and other nearest markets places.
They run the family with the income earn by selling these items. In short, Barak river is the main source of livelihood. The erection of the dam will amount to cut the livelihood of the people apart from submerging some of the villages into the water.
They will be displaced, Ramingthang said citing the reason behind their strong opposition to the construction of the dam. The villagers of Lungthulien and Parbung also expressed their opposition to the construction of dam stating that it will give a great impact to the Hmar people living in the area.
They also blamed the government taking up works for construction of the dam despite knowing the impact and loser to be received by the people. Secretary of Parbung village, Laleng Lien said 75 percent of the total area of Parbung village will be affected by the dam.
Their fields will also submerged under water once the dam is erected. Fertile lands where villagers are producing, pepper, cotton, thoiding, tobacco leave and fruits will be submerged for forever cutting the living earning lands of the people, he said.
They had also mentioned the hardships to be faced by the people by the dam during the public hearing also, he recalled asking what kind of report has been put up by the authority contradicting to the people opinion.
Since the government decided to construction the dam, villagers of Tipaimukh, Sipuikon, Lungthulen, Robokot, Taithu, Torbung, H Maulien, Thingpan and Parbung etc. are living with sleepless night as they are hanging of displacement.
