UPSC Darpan

Environment & EcologyGS311 October 2026

Khasi chiefs and villagers in Assam and Meghalaya oppose the Kulsi dam

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The news

Guwahati. More than 2,000 Bodo, Garo, Khasi and Rabha villagers from both States rallied at Ukiam on Thursday, October 8, against a 55-MW hydropower-cum-irrigation project on the Kulsi that the two State governments announced jointly in June 2025, The Hindu reports. The dam is proposed where the Dron, Shree and Dilma rivers meet to form the Kulsi, a Brahmaputra tributary and “a natural habitat of the endangered Gangetic dolphin”, about 80 km southwest of Guwahati. Ukiam lies almost equidistant from Borduar and Langpih, two of the six border sectors still unsettled. Three Syiems (traditional Khasi chiefs) of Nongkhlaw, Nongmynsaw and Rambrai said they would not consent: “Projects involving land in Meghalaya require no-objection certificates from the traditional chiefs.” Land Conflict Watch puts its cost at ₹1,454.95 crore and says up to 25 villages could be displaced; no official release was found.

The chain in one line: Meghalaya carved out of Assam (1971 Act), leaving twelve disputed areas → 2022 MoU settles six, not Langpih or Borduar → June 2025: both States announce the Kulsi dam there → villagers form a joint protection committee → chiefs refuse consent

Static syllabus linkage

  1. The Sixth Schedule gives tribal councils power over land. Under Articles 244(2) and 275(1), the Sixth Schedule creates autonomous district councils in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. A council such as the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council can make laws on land other than reserved forest, on non-reserved forests and on the appointment and succession of chiefs. Khasi Syiems head traditional polities called hima.
  2. Clearance and consent are separate tests. Under the EIA Notification, 2006, hydropower of 50 MW or more is Category A, cleared by the Union environment ministry after a public hearing. Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 gram sabhas have a say over forest land: in the Niyamgiri case (2013) the Supreme Court let them decide on bauxite mining, and they rejected it.

Why UPSC loves this

  1. Dams, consent and border friction recur together. GS3 lists “environmental impact assessment”; GS2 lists “issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure”. North-East dams test both.

Prelims nuggets

  • The Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) applies to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
  • Meghalaya was carved out of Assam by the Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act, 1971 and became a State in 1972.
  • The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s National Aquatic Animal and is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Analysis

  1. A dam in an unsettled belt can reopen the dispute. Concrete fixes facts on the ground: who owns the reservoir, whose villages drown and who collects revenue are boundary questions in disguise. A joint project could build confidence, but only if the boundary and benefit-sharing are agreed first.
  2. Lens — Development and environment: 55 MW is small power for a large ecological price. The project adds little to the grid, yet it would block a dolphin river and, per Land Conflict Watch, affect at least 12 wetlands. The irrigation gain is real, but smaller barrages or lift irrigation might deliver it with less damage. A careful officer would first demand a cumulative impact study and a dolphin survey.
  3. Cooperative federalism between governments is not consent of the governed. The two States act together, but their people have united against them. In Meghalaya the chiefs’ no-objection is a working condition of land use, not a courtesy; ignoring it invites a Siang-like stand-off.

Possible Mains question

A dam in an unsettled inter-State border area tests cooperative federalism and tribal consent. Discuss with reference to the Kulsi project. (15 marks, 250 words)

Model approach

  1. Directive — Discuss. Explain both tests and reach a view.
  2. Introduction — two States agree, their border villagers refuse. The 55-MW Kulsi project.
  3. Body — the dam sits where the 2022 MoU left the boundary open. Value addition: MoU settled 6 of 12 areas, 36.79 sq km.
  4. Body — Sixth Schedule chiefs and gram sabhas hold a real veto in practice. Cite Niyamgiri. Sketch a map: Kulsi, Ukiam, Langpih, Borduar.
  5. Conclusion — settle the boundary and seek consent before the project report. Weigh 55 MW against dolphins and wetlands.

Administrator's brainstorm

As Deputy Commissioner of West Khasi Hills, you must start surveys for the Kulsi dam, but the Syiems refuse a no-objection certificate. What do you do?

I would not send survey teams under police cover, which turns a dispute over consent into one of law and order. I would meet the chiefs, the district council and village heads, record objections, and report that without consent and a settled boundary the survey cannot proceed lawfully or peacefully.