Brahmaputra Board betrays hope of people of region

GUWAHATI, August 8: The product of a protracted popular movement, the Brahmaputra Board, which once gave the people of the Northeast and particularly, Assam, solace that the perennial problems of flood and erosion would be taken care of in a conclusive and speedy manner, has now allegedly started betraying the hopes of the people of the region as a whole. According to allegations, the 17-year-old board has now started handing over the task of implementing major projects, arduously prepared by its technocrats over the years, to other organisations to fulfil the careerist aspirations of some of the top brass of the board. On the other hand, efforts are also on to transform the board into a milch-cow for the fortune seekers of the so-called "mainland" at the cost of the board and the people of the country as well. These have allegedly set in motion a process of demoralisation within the board and days are not far when the board will turn to be a dead duck if timely measures are not taken to spruce it up, say critics. The board recently gave up its claims over the implementation of the Tipaimukh, Subansiri and Dihang multi-purpose projects, which will have together an installed generation capacity of 15,000 MW. The National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC) and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) snatched away the projects with much ease as the Brahmaputra Board, which prepared the detailed project reports for the projects, was made to sit tamely allegedly because of the alleged post-retirement career moves of some of its high officials. A coterie of some fortuneseekers from outside the state, recently discovered a "splendid" trick to deprive one senior technocrat of the state - a state secretary, from becoming the chairman of the board. Though the state government officer qualified in all matters and was selected to be the only fit man to become the chairman of the board, the coterie raised the issue of his present salary as the secretary of the state government, arguing that he would be drawing an disproportionate amount as monthly salary if appointed chairman of the board. The person concerned is now drawing around Rs 17,000 per month as salary, while the salary of the Brahmaputra Board chairman is around Rs 45,000 per month.