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.
At a time when there is massive annihilation of Mother Nature and our Environment in the name of development of Science and technology, the leading socio- cultural organization, People’s Friend Foundation is taking a unique step to create awareness among the school students about Pollution, Global Warming, Deforestation, preservation of Bio-diversity and so on and so forth. In commemoration with the World Environment Day and its theme of this year-“The Green Economy: Does it include you?”, PFF is organizing prize money ‘ENVIRO-QUIZ’, the All Assam School Quiz among high school students of the state on June 5 at the District Library Auditorium, Guwahati. The...
KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi will sit in indefinite hunger-strike in Guwahati from Sunday to mount pressurize on the government to stop police excess on anti-dam activists in Lakhimpur district. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, he said that several other organisations would join him. He claimed that KMSS would continue to oppose the NHPC-owned big dam in Gerukamukh.
He said, “despite my ill health I have decided to sit in indefinite hunger strike to protest inhuman atrocities heaped on our peaceful and democratic protestors in Lakhimpur.”
The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council will announce the results of the higher secondary examinations in the last week of May. In a statement issued on Friday, AHSEC secretary UC Das said that the students have fared pretty well after they introduced the NCERT syllabus.
Around 2,19,140 candidates have appeared the examination this year, with 2,17,953 students from arts, science and commerce and 1,187 from the vocational stream. He said that the NCERT course allows for high scores and that there hasn't been any mistake in the results.
Peoples' Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement on Friday renewed their demand for a separate Bodoland including parts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. More than three thousand members of PJACBM staged a dharna in Tezpur and submitted a memorandum to Assam Governor JB Patnaik through Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner.
PJACBM conveners asked the government to expedite the peace process with NDFB(Progressive) to pave the way for early creation of a separate Bodoland. They said that the Bodo people and other indigenous tribals have lost their grip on their land and their survival as distinct communities with a socio-cultural identity is threatened.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday claimed to have brought the insurgent outfits under control. But in the same breath, he said that a set of clear cut strategies is needed to firmly deal with Maoist elements. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, the chief minister said that the Maoists elements selected the entire northeastern region in view of the bordering countries.
He said that the Maoists are spreading their diabolic tentacles in the entire region and that police force needs to be strengthen apart from initiatives for the underdeveloped areas. According to him, development can solve the problems created by either the Maoists or other insurgent group and so the thrust...
AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Friday lambasted Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for his failure to ensured adequate funds from the Centre. Addressing a press conference a day after he took over as party president, he called the Central grant for 2011-12 a meager blaming it all on the Gogoi government’s inefficiency. Mahanta said that the amount in quite meager compared to UP, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi made it simple that he has no plan for immediate retirement. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, he said that as long as is health remains fine he would continue. He said he would quit as soon as his MLAs wish so.
Asom Gana Parishad president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Friday urged the party leaders to strengthen the party from the grassroots. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, he said that the party has its base in rural areas and we need to strengthen the party from the grassroots so that it can become a strong alternative to the Congress in Assam.
He said that the party would hold a meeting of all its district units and cells from May 23-31 in Guwahati to chalk out a strategy to woo the people. Taking a pot shot at Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, he said that the Congress has failed in curbing rising prices of essential commodities and in ensuring safety and security to the people.
Petrol pumps across Assam are likely to go dry because of the Assam Petroleum Mazdoor Union’s strike from Monday alleging government failure to provide adequate safety and security to petroleum workers. Union President Munin Mahanta told reporters in Guwahati on Friday that several organisations resorting to protests, bandhs and other forms of agitations targeting petroleum workers with several tankers being set ablaze by the agitators.
Mahanta alleged that the state government had assured adequate security and compensation to the workers, particularly the drivers and helpers of the oil tankers but no steps in this regard had been taken so far,Notably, there were two recent...
MORE THAN two decades ago a dozen children – aged between 3 and 10 – crowded on to a stage waving red balloons as they sang as part of London's Rongali Bihu celebrations.
Almost 25 years later, some of those same children -now fully grown and some married - reprised that performance of 'Ronga Balloone' at the Silver Jubilee of the London Bihu Committee - the group that has been organising the UK capital's bihu gatherings for all that time.
That performance on Sunday 6 May at The Campion School in Hornchurch was the climax of a cultural programme that had been crafted specifically to mark 25 years of unbroken celebrations in London for Rongali Bihu.
Dr Neera...
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