A vociferous protest against big dams reaches its crucial stage when union environment minister Jairam Ramesh was greeted with protest as he was arriving in Guwahti for a public hearing on the NHPC owned big dam in Arunachal Pradesh.
As the Union minister started the public hearing at Machkhowa, ITA, hundreds of local organizations and political parties approached him to register stiff protest again the on going construction of the big dam in Gerukamukh by NHPC in the name of the lower Subansiri hydel project. Citing the expert panel report, these parties and organisations have told the minister that the big dam might spell an ecological disaster for the people in down stream areas.
PermalinkSubmitted by Hayang on Wed, 29/09/2010 - 05:16
--Lame Excuse by NHPC CMD S.K. Garg--
Despite strident protests in Assam with environmental concerns over construction of mega dams, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Chairman-cum-Managing Director S.K. Garg says that the project builders plan to commission three units in March 2012 and the remaining five units by December 2012. This is because Rs 4000 crore of the Rs 9000 crore project has been utilized. That means 40% of the expenses have been made. But is this a reason enough to sacrifice environment and the population of downstream areas which cannot be compensated even if the Indian central government bring all the riches in the world. When land is lost, existence is lost. When existence is lost, the very right to our natural habitat is lost.
In the devastating floods caused by the Tehri dam in Uttarakhand, the central government has promised a package of Rs 500 crore to the state government. That means every year there will be floods, the Indian government will dole out Rs 500 crore. So, within 8 years, Rs 4000 crore will have to be shelved out. If this is the economics involved, Rs 4000 crore is nothing for a rich country like India where many politicians and ministers have pocketed hundreds and thousands of crores. So, the justification of Rs 4000 crore by S.K. Garg sounds to be a lame excuse to keep the industrial corporations who fund the elections happy and satisfied.
12 Sep 2015 - 10:03pm | Dibya J Borthakur
Police nabbed two Tiwa Liberation Army insurgents from Raha when they were on an extortion drive on Saturday. Identified as Tiken Pator and Rupjyoti Bordoloi, they were caught by the local residents...
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A full grown tigress continues to unleash a reign of terror in Guwahati these days.The epicenter is Kahilipara after three leopards were captured during the last couple of weeks.A police patrol team...
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The Bodos want peace. The Bodoland issue needs to be settled at the earliest. The talks with the insurgent groups should resume.These were the main demands Union home minister Rajnath Singh listened...
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The Asom Gana Parishad is in a mood to forge a pre poll alliance with BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Led by its president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, an AGP delegation is camping in New Delhi...
Normal life remained totally paralysed amid sporadic incidents of violence during the 12-hour bandh called by Karbi Students' Youth Council in Karbi Anglong district on Saturday. Bandh supporters set on fire a truck carrying oil in drums in the Diphu-Lumding road this afternoon after forcing the driver and handyman to get down. Shops and business establishments remained closed and vehicular traffic was minimal. KSYC gave the bandh call in protest against alleged encroachment by Meghalaya. They alleged that Meghalaya government has set up police posts and schools in land belonging to Assam.
Tension prevails along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Sonitpur on Saturday forcing the authorities to beef up security in a huge area. The incident took place when a huge group of people belonging to Arunachal Pradesh damaged at least 12 houses and a temple at Bogijuli in the wee hours. Police said a group of about 250 people allegedly from East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh also took away a number of cattle and other livestock. Police from Bishwanath Chariali rushed to the remote spot located along the boundary between the two states where the situation was now stated to be under control. Locals of the area alleged that the miscreants had occupied agricultural land in Bogijuli.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has come down heavily on Team Anna alleging baseless charges against Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. During his visit to Indian Wood Technology Institute in Bangaluru, he said probe cannot be ordered on the basis of such allegations. Talking to reporters in Bangaluru, Gogoi termed Team Anna's action in targetting Singh as an attempt to tarnish the image of the prime minister and said such attempts are unacceptable.
Three poachers had a narrow escape when they were locked at an encounter with forest guards in Pobitora wild life sanctuary on Friday.The shootout took place between forest guards and poachers from Nagaland inside Pabitora wildlife sanctuary in Morigaon district in the wee hours.The poachers from Nagaland entered the Diplung forest range inside the sanctuary. The alert guards sighted the poachers and there was exchange of fire following which one of them managed to escape and three were nabbed.
Assam is all set to implement a Rs 35.38 crore project to boost organic farming in the state. The state has already set up a four-member committee to ensure it.According to official sources, as part of the programme, a substantial area under each of the 126 assembly constituencies would be brought under different organic crops, mostly vegetables, fruits and rice.A four-member committee has been formed for the purpose which is studying various aspects of organic farming, including soil quality testing. The Rs 35.38-crore project, to be implemented in three yearly phases, will involve and benefit 12,600 farmers.
Three prominent tea growers' bodies have sought power minister Pradyut Bordoloi's intervention over the halt in tea production in five districts of Assam.The production came to a halt on Thursday in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat following non-supply of gas by the Assam Gas Co Ltd to the tea estates. Most tea factories in the five districts, which also account for about 45 percent of the total tea factories of Assam, run their Dryers and Weathering Troughs on gas supplied by AGCL.The gas supply has been disrupted due to a 72-hour blockade by Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA) demanding a Rs.100 crore package from the company for the development of tea...
Sonari MLA and former minister Sarat Borkotoky has been appointed as the deputy chairman of the state planning board. Borkotoky, who held the post till 2011 will be accorded cabinet rank.Same status is applicable for Dinesh Prasad Gowala who has been appointed as the Housefed chairman. Amiya Gogoi retains the stint of Assam Gas Company chairperson while Rihon Daimary has been appointed as chairman of state warehousing corporation.Former minister Pramila Rani Brahma has been appointed as the Artfed chairperson while Etwa Munda has been appointed as state small scale industrial development board. Teok MLA Membor Gogoi has been appointed as the chairman with Assam state Agriculture Marketing...
Bangalore would soon as Assam Bhawan soon. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is scheduled to inspect the site for the Assam Bhawan in Bnagalore on Saturday.Gogoi, who left for New Delhi on Wednesday, visited the woods science and technology institute in Bangalore on Friday. He was impressed with its campus and training during his visit. Director SP Joshi gave him the power point projection during his visit.
An awareness programme on Cancer and Tobacco on the occasion of “No Tobacco Day” at Parijat Academy, Organised was organised on Thursday by North East Cancer Hospital and Research Institute. Dr Githartha Roymedhi from the institute explained in details about Cancer and the tobacco‘s impact to the school children and teacher of Parijat Academy. Children. The aim of the programme was to make aware about the Cancer and Tobacco affaects and others produts like gutkha etc.
The Assam Assembly Speaker Pranab Gogoi on Thursday asked additional chief secretary PK Chaudhury to probe into the physical assault on PAC member Prasanta Phukan on Tuesday. Gogoi has asked the additional chief secretary to submit the report within a period of ten days saying that the persons involved in the incident would be given exemplary punishment. Notably, Phukan was physically assaulted by a group of four miscreants at the Nagaon Circuit House after he made an on the spot enquiry on some agriculture projects.
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