Guwahati, Dec. 8: The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, one of the organisations opposing big dams in the Northeast, is holding a public consultation here tomorrow ahead of the Centre's tripartite talks on Thursday over the stalled Lower Subansiri hydel project on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

The KMSS is among the 26 organisations from the state invited to Thursday's meeting in New Delhi organised by the Union power ministry.

The meeting will be chaired by Union power minister Piyush Goyal and is likely to be co-chaired by Lakhimpur MP from Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal. Representatives of Central Water Commission, the Union water resource ministry, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh governments and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) will also attend the meeting.

KMSS president Akhil Gogoi said here today that they would hold discussions with local intellectuals and prominent citizens, who have supported their agitation against the 2000MW Lower Subansiri project, during tomorrow's meeting and prepare their agenda for the Delhi meeting.

'Tomorrow's meeting will begin at 11am where local intellectuals and experts will give their suggestions on the points we should raise in the Delhi meeting. The Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre seems to be in a mood to go ahead with the big power projects at any cost but we want to make it clear that the KMSS will not step back unless measures are taken to address the concerns raised by our expert committee,' Akhil said.

The hydel power project was sanctioned in September 2003 at a cost of Rs 6,285.33 crore and was supposed to be ready in 2009. But agitation by different organisations, including the KMSS, All Assam Students' Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad and Takam Mising Kebang Porin have stalled work since November 2011.

The organisations have been opposing the project, saying that the dam would have an adverse impact on the ecology and people in the downstream areas, mostly in Upper Assam districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji.

The last meeting between the expert group of Assam and of the Centre was held on June 2 in Guwahati where detailed deliberations were held on foundation competency, downstream impact during the operation stage and the feasibility of reducing the dam's height.

The KMSS said the Centre and the NHPC were yet to take major steps to address the concerns raised by the expert committee regarding the cumulative impact of the dam in the downstream areas.

The KMSS has also been demanding studies on the cumulative downstream impact of all the 168 dams being planned in Arunachal Pradesh.

Besides, the KMSS will raise the issue of free power to be supplied to Assam from the Lower Subansiri project.

The KMSS also criticised both the Centre and the Assam government on the 'blame game' regarding a move to stop supply of subsided foodgrains to tea garden workers in the state.

'We warn both to stop politicising the issue,' Akhil said.