DIMAPUR SEPT 16 (MExN): The Lotha Students Union (LSU) from noon today started its second phase of agitation by staging a sit-in protest at the office of the Project Officer Doyang Hydro Project, Wokha district. It is also learnt that the Naga Students Federation (NSF) represented by the Vice-President, Finance Secretary and the Auditor General visited with LSU leaders to express their solidarity with the agitating students.
The LSU has termed the MOU signed between the erstwhile State Government and the NEEPCO (North Eastern Electrical and Power Corporation) as “lopsided” and ignored the plight of the people residing in and around the project area. The LSU has demanded a thorough review of the MoU.
The students’ body also observed that the erstwhile government “had per se taken undue advantage of the landowners’ ignorance and gullibility for which the process of restitution commensurate to the loss of land and natural resources suffered by the Lothas should be set by way of redrawing the MoU”.
It added that long-term socio-economic policies were not envisaged or drawn-up for the affected people and that presently more than 20 villages (16 Lotha and 4 Sumi villages) had been affected.
In the backdrop of these factors the LSU demanded rehabilitation of the displaced people to other reserved location, development of water sports complex at Doyang, introduction of mechanized fishing boats, opening of a polytechnic institution, establishment of a specialty hospital at Wokha Town, setting up of a Theme children’s park at Doyang, construction of link roads from Doyang to the affected areas and supply of free power to the affected areas and subsidized power supply to Wokha district.
Meanwhile, reacting to the LSU’s decision to stage an agitation demanding direct power supply to Wokha from the Doyang Hydro electric Project, Talitemjen Ao, Chief Secretary Nagaland has stated that technically, there was no provision to supply power to consumers directly from a generating station.
The 132 KV Doyang to Wokha Sub-Station line supplies power to the entire district through 33KV and 11 KV sub-transmission lines, he stated. He further said that the transmission line is yet to be completed and alleged theft of tower by miscreants. He has stated that there has been nothing wanting on the part of the Government in addressing the power related problems.
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