Citing assurances from China and its own "verification",the government today said the course of Brahmaputra was not being diverted as being apprehended but maintained that activities across the border are being monitored. The assurance by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna came when Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi called on him with a request that concerns of his state over the reported Chinese plan be conveyed to Beijing. "I have said earlier and would like to repeat it again that we have been monitoring the developments both through our satellite pictures as well as our interactions with the Chinese authorities," Krishna said. "Chinese authorities have conveyed to us that it is going to be a run of the river power project. There is not going to be any reservoir. As result of that,the question of any diversion or any storage of water does not arise," he said. The External Affairs Minister said government has made its own verification on the project. "We have also made verification on our own. It is a fact that China is creating a run of the river power project and the question of any water being impounded is not there," he said. The Brahmaputra,which enters India from Tibet,is considered the lifeline of Assam. Asking Gogoi not to worry,Krishna asked both Assam and Arunachal Governments to plan projects to properly utilise the Brahmaputra waters. "My earnest suggestion to both Assam and Arunachal is that they should go ahead and prepare the necessary project reports in order to utilise the Brahmaputra waters to the maximum benefit of the people of the two states," Krishna said. Asked about the meeting,Gogoi said Krishna told him the project will not have any impact on Assam. "He told me that it ( the project) is not going to have any impact on Assam neither economically nor otherwise," he said.
