In Meghalaya, around 12 villages have protested against a 210 MW hydroelectric project on Umngot, considered India’s clearest river.
- The public hearing by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) was called off due to stiff resistance by the villagers.
- The villages are near the border with Bangladesh in East Khasi Hills district but the dam is proposed upstream in the adjoining West Jaintia Hills district.
- The locals fear that the project, if executed, would cause irreparable losses by wiping out their areas from the tourism map.
- As per the project documents ,13 villages along the Umngot are likely to lose 296 hectares of land due to submergence if the dam comes up.
(Reference: The Hindu)