Kohima: Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi took to a Guwahati press briefing on July 23 to pin the blame for Upper Assam's monsoon flooding on a supposed dam in Nagaland. The Raijor Dal leader claimed a 287-megawatt structure called the Dikhu Hydro Power Project suddenly dumped massive volumes of stored water into the river system. Gogoi insisted official documents proved the massive dam was active and finished its third construction phase.
The facility does not exist. It remains stuck on the drawing board, plagued by decades of land acquisition disputes. The project, currently slated for 186 megawatts, sits on the Central Electricity Authority list as a scheme waiting for construction to even begin. It has not moved forward. Developers have changed hands repeatedly while the site stays empty.
Nagaland Power Minister KG Kenye shot down the accusations on July 27 during an event in Chümoukedima. He called the claims baseless and completely unfounded. The minister noted that two villages refused to grant the No Objection Certificate required to even start a survey of the area. Regarding the MLA's outburst, Kenye said, "As responsible elected legislators of the people, I would advise anybody going to the press to ascertain the factual position first."
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