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 Apr 2017 - 11:10am | AT News
Assamese society in North Bengal, is going to celebrate Rongali Bihu on April 20 in Siliguri with colorful programme. Please contact Pankaj Dutta Baruah, Secretary, Rongali Bihu...
17 Jul 2011 - 3:39am | editor
A new television channel named as News Network is going to be launched in the first half of August, 2011. The channel, which will be the eighth electronic media organization in Guwahati will try to...
2 Sep 2012 - 2:36pm | Anup Biswas
The Executive Committee of the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC), expressed its grave concern over the disturbing situation arising out of the forceful and illegal collection of house taxes from...
27 Jun 2007 - 12:16pm | editor
Tinsukia: The Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia, Dr P K Trivedi made a surprise visit to several offices falling within his jurisdiction and the result was that pay cuts were ordered for 84 employees...
Renowned international Plastic Surgeon Dr. Ronald Zuker from from Toronto, Canada is visiting the Operation Smile Comprehensive Cleft Care Center in Guwahati as part of an international educational exchange program.A multispecialty international team of experts led by Dr. Zuker from the Hospital of Sick Kids, Toronto will be working along with their local counterparts at the Operation Smile Center while exchanging valuable knowledge about various aspects of surgical treatment of cleft deformities. The Operation Smile Comprehensive Cleft Care Center situated in Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Panbazar, Guwahati is as an outcome of the unique Public Private Partnership between Operation...
The United Liberation Front of Asom on Thursday slammed police a day after four suspected Maoists were killed at an encounter with police in Tinsukia district. In an e-mail statement, ULFA commander in chief said that the outfit has support to the Maoists and that policemen deployed in the operations should try to learn the lesson of humanity.
Notably police killed four Maoists at Borgora at an encounter on Wednesday. The deceased include top Maist leader Siddhartha Borgohain, while police commando Achinta Das received a bullet injury in his legThe other three killed cadres have been identified as Rajib Gogoi, Arup Chetia and Kamala Burhagohain. Three AK47s, two grenades and a huge cache...
Assam Chief minister Tarun Gogoi is in a mood to reshuffle his council of ministers a year after his government retained power for the third consecutive term. According to the insiders, the reshuffle is likely to take place just before May 18. The chief minister is likely to axe two of his cabinet fellows to make way for two popular MLAs.With this exercise, Gogoi is trying to give a stern message to a circle of his ministers who have been lobbying in New Delhi to get him as vice president.
“Gogoi is scheduled to go to New Delhi on May 12 again and meet Sonia Gandhi to finalise the ministry reshuffle," said a senior party leader. After getting a nod for the reshuffle from Sonia...
The Centre on Wednesday claimed to have given a big blow to Maoists trying to set up bases in Assam. Hours after the encounter at Sadiya, Union home secretary RK Singh told reporters in Delhi that the encounter would certainly halt their operations and hamper their activities in a big way. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram recently said that Assam emerged as the new theatre of Maoist activity and there were also inputs about links of CPI (Maoist) with insurgent groups in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
Singapore evinces its keen interest to strengthen business presence in the North East with hospitality and tourism as the major potential areas of cooperation. Talking to the region’s industry leaders in Guwahati on Wednesday, Singapore foreign minister K Shanmughan said that North East is generally not identified as business destinations but the fact is that beneath the surface. He said that region is exciting from the point of view of the hospitality sector and we believe there is opportunity for Singapore business houses to tap the potential of hospitality in the North East.
Security forces seized arms and ammunition from a person who claims to be a Nagaland Police constable at the railway station in Guwahati on Wednesday. Identified as Pradeep Kumar, GRP caught him when he was moving suspiciously and about to board the Delhi-bound Sampark Kranti Express arrival here by the Dimapur-Guwahati BG Express.
Two pistols and 90 rounds of cartridges were recovered from his possession during search. Kumar claimed that he was a constable of the Nagaland Police. The veracity of his statement was being checked.
Ramakanta Deori was retained as the chief executive member of the Tiwa Autonomous Council following a trial of strength on Wednesday. Deori got 19 votes while his rival Rina Pator secured only one vote. The trial of strength was ordered by Gauhati high court following a writ petition by Pator after a tussle for the post of CEM. The voting was conducted by Morigaon deputy commissioner Vishal Solanki.
Power Grid Corporation on Wednesday said that damaged towers of transmission lines that carry electricity to the North East region would be restored by next week.Towers had collapsed at two locations near Alipurdwar in West Bengal on 400 kV Binnaguri-Bongaigaon circuits due to heavy storm and inclement weather conditions on May 3. Power Grid said it expects to "restore this line by May 14 on permanent basis.The NER grid continued to be connected with the ER grid by two numbers of 220 kV circuits between Birpara and Salakati. Power Grid is engaged in power transmission business with the mandate for planning, co-ordination, supervision and control over complete inter-state transmission system.
Four suspected Maoist activists died during an fierce encounter with security forces in Tinsukia district on Wednesday. The encounter took place in Sadiya. The deceased include a top commander Sanjeev Borah, who took the lead in setting up a Maoist base in Assam. The massive operation was undertaken following a tip-off about the presence of a group of Maoists at Deopani Borgora village under Sadiya police station.
The security forces then launched an operation in the area and in the ensued encounter four Maoists were killed.Search operations are continuing in the area and huge quantities of arms including AK-47 rifles and hand grenades have been recovered from them. A police constable...
Three miscreants were killed and another was arrested at the end of a fierce encounter with security forces atop Umrangsu in Jayantia Hills district of Meghalaya on Tuesday. The encounter took place during an operation launched to rescue a minor boy a day after he was kidnapped in the hills district.
The gun battle took place a few hours after the minor boy’s father paid the miscreants a huge amount of Rs 50 lakh for safe release of his son. Police rescued the minor boy and arrested the main culprit.
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