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.
20 Nov 2007 - 9:18am | pbaruah
Former minister and sitting Asom Gana Parishad legislator Nurul Hussain strongly refutes K N Saikia panel’s indictment in the secret killing cases.Addressing the reporters here, the AGP...
28 Jan 2008 - 6:58am | editor
The city police have recovered a huge cache of foreign made arms and explosives from Jalukbari area in Guwahati on Monday morning while the district administration was remaining busy in vote counting...
14 May 2013 - 5:25pm | AT News
The United Liberation Front of Asom has strongly criticized Sankadev Award for Sharmila Tagore a day after the film personality received the coveted award from president Pranab Mukherjee.In an e-mail...
12 Nov 2008 - 3:58pm | editor
Two persons died and twelve others have been injured when a Tata Safari collided its head on an ASTC bus last night at Alomganj area in Karimganj district of south Assam. According to information,...
Jorhat: The North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) has appointed Tirtha Prasad Saikia as its new Director. He will be replacing Girin Chetia, who founded and headed the organization since 2000.
Tirtha Prasad Saikia, a former Joint Director of NEADS, was nominated and approved by the governing board with a rigorous selection process that was led by Girin Chetia and Jiban Ch. Gohain, the Governing Board Chairperson of NEADS on January 26, 2022. He brings with him extensive grassroots experience, visionary leadership, and a passion for community-based interventions.
As the new Director, Tirtha has taken charge on February 5, 2023. NEADS welcomes him with open arms,...
In an effort to cultivate a deeper understanding of nature and sustainability among children, WWF-India launched its whole school programme, Ek Prithvi, in 2016. Since its inception, the programme has empowered over 145,200 students in 11 states by building environmental awareness, knowledge, and skills, and enabling action for conservation. Amid the pandemic, the programme went digital with the "One Earth One Home" initiative, reaching millions of students across 16 states and union territories in 10 languages, including all districts of Assam.
WWF-India's Assam chapter commenced the Ek Prithvi programme in 2019, partnering with the SCERT, Government of Assam, to launch the programme in...
Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood attended the closing ceremony of the Bodoland International Knowledge Festival in Kokrajhar, Assam on Thursday, where he spoke about his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they changed his outlook on life. Sood, who is known for his efforts to help migrant workers during the pandemic, stated that being able to bring positive change to people's lives is far more rewarding than being part of a successful film or receiving awards. He shared that he has worked in over 100 films in different languages but the pandemic made him realize that success and happiness come from helping others.
Sood also recounted his relationship with...
This report iSiliguri: In a solemn ceremony held at Salesian College Siliguri, North Bengal received its first Psychology Lab, Wellness Studio and Wellness Woods on 10th February 2023.
Located in Taverna Block of Salesian College, Psychology Lab is a facility for research, psychological testing and diagnostics. Wellness studio is a counseling centre opened to both students and anyone who requires wellness therapy.
The Psychology department at Salesian College, started in 2012, is the only College under North Bengal University’s 64 affiliate colleges, offering degree courses in Psychology both in the Undergraduate and Graduate level.
“The Psychological Lab and Wellness...
The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Marigaon district is known for its high density of one-horned rhinoceros and is also an important habitat for various bird species. The Guwahati Wildlife Division of the Assam Forest Department and biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak recently conducted the third annual waterbird census at the sanctuary.
With active participation from a range of individuals and organizations, the census recorded 56 species of waterbirds with a total count of nearly 8,200 individuals, including both migratory and resident birds. Over 30 people, including forest department staff, Aaranyak members, and volunteers, took part in the census.
The main...
The Kokrajhar LitFest, a literary festival organized by the government of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in Assam, India, concluded on Sunday with a valedictory ceremony at the Bodofa Cultural Complex. The festival, which was held over three days, featured prominent poets and writers from various languages and focused on promoting peace and harmony through literature. The theme of this year's event was "literature for peace and harmony," and it included discussions on various topics such as poetry, Aijwfwrni Garang, and Angw Alap. The valedictory ceremony was presided over by Prof Anil Boro, chairman of the organizing committee, and featured Biswajit Daimary, Speaker of the Assam...
The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will hear cases 562/2012, 876/2014, 311/2015, and 68/2016, brought by the Asom Samyukta Mahasangh of Assam, represented by Motiur Rahman and 102 Khilonjiya tribal organizations, against the Government of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Election Commission, the Registrar General of India, the Government of Assam, and the All Assam Students' Union. The cases were previously heard by two-judge benches of Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Ranjan Gogoi in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, but were referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for final trial because the defendants were unable to provide sufficient...
Dibrugarh: Prof. Chandan Kumar Sharma from Tezpur University hosted the Northeast release of Yale University Press' award-winning Genetically Modified Democracy at Dibrugarh University on Friday. The book release was part of a three-day workshop called Sustainable Futures: Agriculture, Ecology and Conservation in Northeast India. It took place on December 14-16 in Guwahati and Dibrugarh University.
Dr. Aniket Aga is an associate professor of environmental studies at Ashoka University. His research interests are in science and technology studies, democratic politics, and agrarian studies. He works on questions of environmental justice, food democracy, and sustainable agriculture. The...
At the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards ceremony in Mumbai last night, environmentalist Rituraj Phukan was honoured with a Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award. The Nagaon based Climate Reality Leader is a renowned environmental writer, adventurer and conservationist who has represented the region and country in numerous global climate change events.
The loudest applause of the night was for 23 year old Munmuni Payeng, who won the Young Naturalist Award for her work with grassroots communities. It must be mentioned that she is the daughter of Padma Shree Jadav Payeng, famous as the Forest Man of India.
Eminent conservation scientist Dr. Vibhu Prakash, whose is known for his pioneering work...
Arvind Ojha was an experimentalist choosing to dedicate his life to social changemaking through education, working with children, making institutions and keeping people and organisations together. Someone very forthcoming to dialogue and collaborate with youth. Perhaps something that kept him innovating with community for over 40 years in social sector.
He was an artist, storyteller and a social changemaker. In his early years he wrote extensively. Prose and poetry were his forms of storytelling. He used camera to capture his times and stories, principally focusing on desert.
Later years, he committed to working with communities of Thar desert in the remote places and contexts. His...
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