TSF opposes thermal plant in tribal belt

GUWAHATI, July 19: Tribal Students Federation (TSF) of Assam has vowed to foil bid to set up a coal-based thermo electric project by the Northeastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) at Longtong Udoipur under Tirap tribal belt in Margherita. The primary reason for which the TSF is opposed to setting up of project that is the state government is preparing to allot 1000 bighas of land for the project evicting total 305 families from the area. Already the Government has evicted 200 families in Udoipur village without paying compensation. The leaders of the TSF on Tuesday informed the Press here that some of the inhabitants of the area have more than 100 years of settlement while some are relatively new settlers including flood-hit people of Upper Assam. They informed that it was the Government which rehabilitated flood affected people in that area under Minimum Need Programme (MNP). The TSF alleged that the Government has been discriminatory while evicting people to clear land for the proposed NEEPCO project. While tribal settlers are being evicted, small tea gardens located in the area are being avoided by the administration. The TSF, therefore, smells anti-tribal attitude of the Government and vowed to launch agitation to foil attempt to set up thermal power project in the area affecting the tribal populace there. The TSF further alleged that although the project was originally proposed to be located at Borgolai area, it was latter decided to shift to Longtong Udoipur village under 'pressure' from a lobby of coal mafia operating in Margherita coal belt. The TSF leaders said even as the Government was out to unsettle even 100-year-old settlers in Tirap Tribal Belt to facilitate the proposed NEEPCO project, thousands of bighas of Government land in the same belt are being grabbed by a section of moneyed people for setting up small tea gardens without caring to take necessary permission from the administration. The TSF also faced that the environment of the Tirap Tribal Belt area will be polluted and the general health of the locals will be affected, if the coal based thermal power project is allowed to set up in the area.