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.
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Former Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang mourns the sudden demise of SS Khaplang, the Naga leader who died on Friday evening at the NSCN(K)'s headquarter in Taga, Myanmar. Here's his...
After remaining stoic silence for the last couple of months, Congress MLA Rumi Nath disclosed her nuptial knot with a youth in Karimganj. Nath who switched over to Congress from BJP has admitted before media on telephone that she was married to Jeki according to Islamic formalities a couple of week back. The sitting Congress MLA from Borkhola in Cachar, who is out of station with his second husband is preparing to get the daughter from her first husband.
Three kilos of powerful explosive along with other equipments were recovered in a joint search operation by police at a village near Rangjuli in Goalpara district last night. Police also arrested two suspected ULFA linkmen in this regard. According to sources, acting on a tip of Special Branch of Assam police led by SP Ranjan Bhuyan and Goalpara police led by Addl SP Sushanta Biswa Sharma launched an operation at Landakunda village under Dhupdhara police station and made the recovery. The two arrested persons were identified as Bekingson Marak (45) and Jyoticharan Boro (24). It is suspected that the explosive, hidden in forest, were meant to target Guwahati city, a police source said
Team Anna backs Akhil Gogoi’s protest against the NHPC-owned big dam in Gerukamukh. In a statement, it asked the government to accept the demands of the protestors. Team Anna maintained that the construction of dams in Arunachal Pradesh be stopped as people of Assam cutting across their economic background have been opposing it. The civil society demanded the alleged police action against protestors be stopped and all those detained released unconditionally.
A new housing development policy for Assam is in the offing. The Assam government is set to announce it very soon which is intended to eradicate the problems related to unplanned development in urban areas in the state. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said it when he attended a meeting of the senior civic officials in Guwahati on Monday. The Chief Minister said that new buildings and structures in Guwahati and major urban centres would be sanctioned only on the basis of the new policy, which would include features like compulsory parking facilities in housing societies. He said the state is facing problems in sectors like housing and construction, traffic and roads due to unplanned nature of...
Assam and Meghalaya are all set to hold a high level meeting on Thursday to defuse the simmering tension in Langpih. The meeting is slated to be held in the chief secretary level in Guwahati to discuss the recent eviction drive in the area where Kamrup district administration demolished a public hall allegedly built by West West Khasi Hills district administration. Kamrup district administration on Saturday dismantled a community hall of the Hima Raid Mynsaw at Langpih during an eviction drive. A section local residents had started constructing the hall, which was allegedly raided by Assam officials the following day.
The National Investigation agency on Monday chargesheeted three suspected Manipuri rebels for providing training and supplying arms and ammunition to Naxal groups. The case was filed before the designated court of NIA in Guwahati against N Dilip Singh, Senjam Dhiren Singh alias Raghu and Arnold Singh under various sections of Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act. Dilip, self-styled chief of the 'foreign external affairs department' of banned terrorist organisation People's Liberation Army, was arrested by Delhi Police, Dhiren was nabbed by Kolkata Police and Arnold was picked up by NIA last month. The three were charged with imparting training to the cadres of banned CPI (Maoist) and...
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IED seized from ULFA linkmen A major incident of explosion was averted when police recovered a powerful IED in Goalpara town on Monday. The IED weighing around 3.5 kg, meant to be planted in the town was seized from two ULFA linkmen who were arrested on the Assam-Meghalaya border in the district.
According to police, the linkmen Dilung alias Dilam Marak alias Bipimom Marak (30), a person from the Garo community of Meghalaya, and Jyoticharan Boro were arrested from the remote Landakunda area on the border which is close to Bangladesh.
A remote control device and a bomb-making manual were also recovered. The duo are believed to be close to Drishti Rajkhowa, a close aide of anti-talk...
Police arrested five persons on Sunday in connection with the theft of bitumen, worth Rs 50 lakh in Morigaon district. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested five persons from Dharamtul area of the district and seized huge quantities of bitumen from them. The bitumen, estimated to be worth around Rs 50 lakh, had been stolen by the five from a consignment for use in ongoing construction activity at National Highway number 37.
One person was killed and three others seriously injured in a road mishap in Golaghat district on Sunday.The driver of a speeding car lost control of the vehicle which skidded off the road killing one person on the spot and injuring three others in Badulipar area. The dead has been identified as Meherban Khan and the injured have been admitted to a local hospital.
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