Despite repeated suggestions to halt the mega dam work by north east dam experts, NHPC and the Centre have categorically allayed the fear of downstream disaster of the controversial dam at Gerukamukh. Yet another expert panel is studying the entire issue of downstream impact of the NHPC-owned power project. That is what it in the case of Assam.
But the Centre itself has held hydropower projects responsible for the Uttarakhand disaster last year that left hundreds dead and thousand displaced. The situation aggravated in the upstream and downstream areas of the projects. The Centre admitted it in the recent affidavits of the MoFE before the Supreme Court on Monday.
This has forced the Centre to stall 24 of the 39 proposed projects in the state on the sub-basins of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers.
According to the MoEF said that construction of the projects overburdened the local ecology. This has resulted in the irreversible damage to the environment in terms of loss of forests, degraded water quality, and an enhanced impact of landslides.
It suggests the impending downstream disaster of the Gerukamukh mega dams in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. Will power minister Piyush Goel and the NHPC go through the affidavits before resuming the mega dam works in Gerukamukh? If NHPC is allowed to resume works, will they own up responsiblity for the impending danger in the downstream areas?
Anti-dam protesters have been crying the fear of disaster for the last three years. But NHPC and the Centre have been trying to ignore the voice of protest against and again. A circle of experts hired by NHPC has been supporting the mega dams in the name of power generation. But some others have been dead opposed to it. Need of the hour is to give a second thought to it. People in this seismic prone region don’t want yet another trail of devastation.
28 Mar 2014 - 9:57pm | Hantigiri Narzary
One Pradip Basumatary (24) was arrested for extorting money from the shop owners in the heart of Kokrajhar town near Assam Oil Petrol pump on Friday. Police said that two fake NDFB (S) were...
24 Jun 2015 - 12:27pm | AT News
More flood is likely to wreak havoc if the incessant rains are any indication. Incessant rains refuse to halt forcing the water level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries to flow above the...
9 Jul 2007 - 4:23am | editor
Delhi: Caught in the controversy, the Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday collected the blood sample of PC Ram’s brother for DNA matching even as the family members of the kidnapped FCI official in...
27 Apr 2018 - 8:08pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Kokrajhar: Security forces apprehended an NDFB-S rebel along with three linkmen from Kalbari near Salbari in Baksa district on Friday. Acting on an input about presence about militant cadres...
We are deeply concerned about the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the tribal Kuki and Zo communities. We demand an immediate halt to this violence that is causing large scale disruption of lives, livelihoods and properties and unleashing even more terror among people.
The immediate trigger to this violence was an April 2023 Manipur High Court order advising the state government to grant the Meitei community (members of which now have either OBC or in some cases SC status) the status of Scheduled Tribe. Thereby, the Meitei community would have access to land that is currently reserved for tribal communities. Several spates of violence broke...
Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora on Thursday in a couple of tweets expressed his angst for the inaction of the Central Government in not taking any steps to investigate into the alleged links between Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP leader Ram Madhav with terrorist outfit. In a tweet, Bora questions the credibility of the Government of India as it has been using central agencies like CBI & ED against opposition leaders all the time. Then why is GOI silent on the allegations of Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma being involved with Kuki militants in the Manipur election in 2017? Bora demanded a NIA probe into the allegations and arrest of Sarma under NSA Act. Meanwhile, he also stated...
Here's an appeal for donations for the relief effort currently being undertaken by by Rural Women Upiftment Society, Manipur.
Online donations can be made to the organisation through at https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-rural-women-upliftment-society .
Dear friends,
The devastating ethnic violence and arson that unfolded in Manipur since May 3rd, 2023, have left a trail of destruction, claiming the lives of over 100 people, injuring more than 5,000, and displacing an estimated 70,000 individuals. Numerous homes, villages, and churches have been reduced to ashes, leaving families without shelter or land to return to. The situation is dire and urgent...
In a devastating incident on 2 June 2023, three trains collided near the city of Balasore in Odisha, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life and a large number of injuries. The collision involved the 12841 Coromandel Express, the 12864 SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express, and a goods train near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station.
The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the country, and questions are being raised about the safety measures in place within the Indian Railways. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has previously published an audit report exposing the neglect of crucial rail safety by the Modi government and Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The report revealed...
Guwahati: The All Assam Engineers' Association (AAEA) has strongly called for the demarcation of the Assam Engineering College campus and the construction of a solid boundary wall to safeguard the prestigious institution in Jalukbari, Northeast India. The organization, while expressing condolences for the recent tragic incident that claimed the lives of seven AEC students, emphasized the need for a secure residential campus where hostel residents cannot venture out after specified evening hours.
Following the incident, concerns were raised regarding security measures at the college. The AAEA's statement highlighted the fact that the AEC campus is no longer isolated as it was decades ago...
An undying orgy of violence in Manipur puts Chief Minister N Biren Singh in a tough time to continue his second consecutive term.
Highly placed sources have said the escalating tension in the BJP-ruled north eastern state is forcing the party leadership to consider a change in the state government leadership as an urgent measure to help the state bail out of the crisis that has left 53000 people homeless so far.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a four-day visit to the restive state, is learnt to have been considering all possible aspects to quell the situation.
The symbolic anthem “We Shall Overcome” reverberated the air filled with tears and fears. All...
Guwahati: Expressing profound grief at the demise of seven brilliant students of Assam Engineering College (AEC) in a tragic late-night accident on 29 May 2023, All Assam Engineer’s Association (AAEA) urges the college authority to impose some basic disciplinary measures urgently. The forum of graduate engineers (many of them AECians) also wishes an early recovery to all the injured students and others in the fatal road mishap.
The AEC Hostel 7 boarders were returning to the residential college campus from western part of the city and faced the accident near the Jalukbari overbridge. The luxury car carrying ten students hit the divider first and then a goods carrier on the other...
In Manipur, tensions have reached a critical point as demands for the removal of Chief Minister Biren Singh or the appointment of a Kuki MLA as Deputy Chief Minister have escalated. The situation took a turn for the worse a day before the scheduled visit of Home Minister Amit Shah, as sporadic gunshots were reported throughout the region.
Chief Minister Biren Singh, amidst the growing unrest, has made a bold claim, stating that security forces have successfully eliminated 40 militants since the conflict began. However, these assertions have not been independently verified, leaving room for skepticism and further fueling the already volatile atmosphere.
A surge in violence was...
In a tragic road accident that occurred in the Jalukbari area of Guwahati seven engineering students died at spot last night. According to reports, a group of 10 Assam Engineering College (AEC) students traveled in a scorpio car. Seven of the students died after their vehicle colliding with a bolero pick-up van. Besides, five others including the driver and handyman of the pick-up van were seriously injured in the accident. The deceased students hailed from different parts of the state including Guwahati. They were identified as Kaushik Barua (Mangaldoi), Kaushik Mohan (Sivasagar), Raj Kiran Bhuyan (Majuli), Imon Barua (Dibrugah), Arindam Bhowal (Guwahati), Upanshu Sarma (Nagaon), and...
In a show of solidarity, Manipur fire service personnel commenced an indefinite cease-work strike on Tuesday to protest against the assault on their colleagues by personnel belonging to the 16 Jat Regiment. Firefighters are demanding immediate action against the individuals responsible for the incident, which involved a lathi charge on the firemen. Salam Jiban, the Sub-Officer of Manipur Fire Service Headquarters, stated that the strike was initiated in response to the assault on five firemen near the City Convention Centre, located just a few meters from the new check post in Imphal East. He emphasized that the fire personnel were simply carrying out their duty to extinguish a fire in the...
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