Guwahati: Residents of villages along the Kulsi River on the Assam-Meghalaya border have united against a hydropower project proposed by the two state governments, despite the long-running border dispute between them.

The endangered Gangetic dolphin inhabits the Kulsi River, where the Assam and Meghalaya governments jointly proposed a 55 MW project combining electricity generation with irrigation facilities in June 2025.

More than 2,000 people from the Bodo, Garo, Khasi and Rabha communities gathered at Ukiam on October 8 to oppose the project.

The village is near the proposed dam site and lies at almost equal distances from Borduar and Langpih, two of the six border areas that have remained disputed since the 1970s.

The Assam-Meghalaya Joint Protection Committee (AMJPC), formed in 2025 to coordinate opposition to the project, organised the rally.

Three traditional chiefs, Kestor Manik Syiem Iich of Nongkhlaw, Phlowing Syiem Nongbak of Nongmynsaw and Order Syiem Sad of Rambrai, told the gathering they would not grant consent for the dam.

The Nongkhlaw chief said traditional chiefs oversee their respective areas and that projects involving land in Meghalaya require their no-objection certificates. He ruled out issuing one for the Kulsi project, a position shared by the other two chiefs.

AMJPC president Albert Nonglang said the project would affect 46 villages across the two states. He said financial compensation could not make up for the long-term effects of displacement on indigenous communities.

The proposed 62-metre dam could also have environmental and social impacts in Assam’s Kamrup district and Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district.

AMJPC representatives from Assam called for consultations with local communities and traditional institutions before the project proceeds.

Under the proposed scheme, around 26,000 hectares would receive irrigation coverage, while the 55 MW facility is also expected to help control floods, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said.

A cost assessment by the Brahmaputra Board put the project’s expenditure at Rs 1,454.95 crore, calculated at June 2017 rates.