The Brahmaputra Board (BB) has been consigned to the pages of history today with the central government stating it has outlived its mandate and would “reincarnate” with a new nomenclature and concept.
After holding the last meeting of the board here at the State Capital Union Minister for Water Resources, Uma Bharti said, the BB would now have a new name “within a week or two” and the entire functioning and mandate would be changed.
“I can declare with a firm conviction that today is the last meeting of the Brahmaputra Board. The next meeting will be held under a new name and concept. It would reincarnate with a new name and concept in which the views of every state will be incorporated. We would decide on the new name within a week or two,” she said at the sidelines of the 8th meeting of the board here at the State Convention centre.
The Union Minister added the board has outlived its mandate. The Board which was established in 1980 and was not performing to the expectation of the people and therefore it would be overhauled.
“When the board was formed the aspirations from it was different so was the technology. We would now take suggestions from all stakeholders how to revamp the board and make it more effective with the present day aspirations of the people,” Bharti said.
One of the important roles of the board would be to take care of the flood and erosion caused by the River Brahmaputra annually – an aspect the BB has not been able to tackle effectively.
On the other hand Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has suggested that a Brahmaputra River Basin Management project be established on the tributaries of the River, which would benefit most of the Northeastern States. The Union Minister has already hinted that she has taken a liking for the proposal of the Meghalaya Chief Minister.
On cleaning of the River Brahmaputra, she said, that since the Ganga and the Brahmaputra have the same source of origin and cleaning work on the Ganga has begun, the Ganga cleaning project would have its impact on the River Brahmaputra.
“River Brahmaputra is the elder brother of Ganga and has its origin at Mansarovar so the Ganga cleaning project would have its impact on it. Nonetheless, the Ganga cleaning model would be replicated on different Rivers of the country,” she informed.
Meanwhile, speaking about the controversy over building of dams in the region, she said that the water resources ministry was not against building of dams, but the ecology of the River and the people’s sentiments have to be taken care of while implementing the projects.
“The technical aspect of dam building must be safe in such a way that the ecology is not disturbed and kills Rivers. Moreover, the sentiments of the people must also be taken care of while building the dams and this, I have been told, is being looked into by the Ministry of Power,” Bharti said.
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