The Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur would like to express our concern with the ongoing oil spill and fire at the oil drilling site of the Oil India Limited (OIL) at Baghjan Village in Assam since 27 May 2020. OIL officials failed to control the oil spill as of 10 June 2020. The oil Blowout, or uncontrolled spillage of oil and gas at the oil drilling site has led to displacement of more than 3000 community members in Baghjan Village and surrounding areas and contaminated much of the Maguri-Motapung wetland, part of the eco-sensitive zone of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The oil spill has had an adverse effect on biodiversity of the two eco-sensitive zone.
The Dibru Saikhowa National park is home to at least 36 species of mammals including feral horses and at least 382 species of birds. Locals found a carcass of a Gangetic dolphin, declared as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with its skin peeled in the Maguri wetland. The OIL company has contracted experts from Singapore based Alert Disaster Control to control the oil spill. OIL's seeking help from foreign countries indicates the failure or the lack of capacity of the OIL company to handle major oil spills, which is a concern for indigenous peoples across North East where Jubilant Oil and Gas Pnvate Limited and Oil India Limited are involved in oil exploration and survey works like in Manipur since 2010.
In Manipur, the Oil India Limited (OIL) commenced surveys in Khaidem, Moidangpok, Sangaithel villages in lmphal West district in Manipur since March 2017 without providing any detailed information to the villagers and in absence of their consent. Manipur indeed falls in two of the World's Biodiversity Hotspot, the Eastern Himalayas Biodiversity Hotspot, and lndo-Burma Hotspot and oil exploration and related spills like in Baghjan will entail massive social and environmental impacts. Oil companies downplayed the impacts of oil exploration in Manipur.
The Oil India Limited unleashed human rights violations by contaminating the land and water bodies and by denying the livelihood of communities depending on Rivers and wetlands, such as in Baghjan Area of Assam. The oil exploration moves in Manipur failed to recognise indigenous peoples' rights over their land and resources. The effort to explore and drill oil in Manipur involves a process of disrespect and non-application of human rights-based approach to development, one that recognise Indigenous peoples' rights, more with self-determined development over their land and resources.
The continued oil spill and uncontrolled fire at Baghjan should lead to serious review and rethinking of oil exploration and fossil fuel-based industries pursued aggressively across India's North East. The communities affected by the oil spill should be fully compensated and rehabilitated to restore their livelihood and health. OIL should be held accountability for social impacts and irreparable loss of biodiversity. An investigation should be pursued to prosecute responsible officials of Oil companies involved. The Government should refrain from pursuing unsustainable extractive industries, like oil exploration without recognizing community rights and without taking their consent.
31 Jan 2008 - 4:07pm | Dibya J Borthakur
Nagaon Police last night arrested two youth in connection with keeping some illegal arms and ammunitions with them. The two were arrested from Dhakkapatti area of Nagaon. According to Police, one 9...
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Freedom fighter, president of Nazira District Freedom Fighters Association and veteran Congress leader Subha Gogoi breathed his last at his residence at Mazenga on Thursday. He was 95 and survived by...
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Union home minister Rajnath Singh announced a special investigation cell to firmly deal with the rising militant activities in the north eastern region.In his speech at the NE CMs’ Conference in...
Assam, one of India’s seven biodiversity rich northeastern states, presents a landscape of lush evergreen forests and grasslands that is home to a great diversity of species including many of the rare cat species. Of the magnificent felines--while the tiger enjoys the lion share of all conservation efforts--the leopard however, continues to remain neglected. A Scheduled I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the survival of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Assam is under threat due to an expanding human population and accompanying development and habitat fragmentation.
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Anjali is my friend. She lived in Guwahati for nearly three years. I didn't know she was researching this book!
I love to read books. Recently, I read her book, "Keeping in Touch." It's a love story set in today's world. The story is about Keteki, a designer, and Ved, a businessperson. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop.
The story begins with Keteki and Ved meeting at an airport. Ved is going to Assam to see a special lightbulb factory. Keteki is coming back home to Guwahati after an art show in London. Their chance meeting leads to a love story that goes beyond borders and takes them on adventures in Assam and other places.
What I liked about "Keeping in Touch" is how Anjali...
During the Covid-19, a few brave Assamese boys and girls sailed offshore in search of their destiny, braving heavy odds like the lack of flights, lack of appointments for visas and uncertainty in foreign land. In the most unprecedented times in the history of mankind, now when the world goes through spells of complete lockdown, the youth were clueless about how to deal with this situation. Nevertheless, some brave-hearts embraced challenges with the right spirit and converted them to opportunities.
Dewang Rajkakati is one of them. He left India during the height of the Corona Pandemic in December 2020 after completing B Tech from SRM University. He studied MS from the State...
KOKRAJHAR: An encounter incident took place in the Ultapani forest area along the Indo-Bhutan border area of Kokrajhar district on Thursday night that reportedly killed a person who was allegedly involved with extremist activities recently in Chirang district.
The deceased was identified as Sanjula Wary, 26, of the Sapkata area of the Gossaigaon subdivision.
Police arrested Sanjula Wary(26) of Kashiabari Dulagaon under Gossaigaon police station on Thursday. as per police, he was earlier a member of the NLFB Udalguri camp and had formed an extremist gang of about 10-15 members who were personally involved in the recent dacoity and firing incident at Bithani village under Amteka in...
Guwahati: An orgy of "encounters" triggered no less uproar in the state assembly on Monday, where the government denied any such case of an encounter by police. According to the government, there is nothing new in a few incidents of deaths of criminals in police firing in the state.
Opposition legislators alleged a mysterious rise in the number of deaths in police firings since the new government was installed in Dispur.
Senior minister Piyush Hazarika tried to pacify the legislators by saying that there is no such word as "encounter" in the Assam police manual. He said that police can’t remain idle if a criminal tries to flee from custody.
“It was during the erstwhile...
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Speaking to the media at Kokrajhar, APCC senior spokesperson Gorjon Mushahary charged the state government with creating a chaotic environment in Bodoland Territorial Region districts by misguiding the administration.
The congress party demands CBI investigation into the encounter in Ultapani forest area and punishment of the responsible parties, as...
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Watch video of winning moments: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=813783922615822
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The increase in tiger population in the Manas National Park is a milestone in country-wide tiger conservation efforts. Since peace returned to Manas after a prolonged insurgency, dedicated conservation intervention to secure the population of tigers was in place. The annual monitoring of tigers, co-predators, and prey animals is a prime mandate set by the Government of India to all tiger reserves designated as tigers‟ source population sites. With each passing year, Manas is adorning new feathers to its cap. This time „Manas Tiger Reserve‟ has been successful in a three-fold increase in tiger number in the last ten years (2011-2021). It is worth mentioning that this is an outcome of the...
Guwahati: Violation is human rights has become the order of the day in Assam if the statistics available with the state human rights commission is any indication. During the last one year alone, the commission has registered 81 cases in the state.
Till December 1,2020 the number of cases has gone up to 273 in addition to the pending 108 cases. The commission, however, claimed to have settled 178 cases till October 31, 2020.
In 2019, 317 cases were registered and the total cases with the Commission stand at 491. These include 174 pending cases. According to the commission, they have registered highest 69 cases in Kamrup Metro during this period. Kamrup metro is...
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