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.
11 Nov 2010 - 10:46pm | Juthika Das
A Quiz competition was organized for the students of Shankar Dev Shishu Niketan, Saudarvitha by Army Camp, Saudarvitha of 12 Kumaon Regiment under Red Horn Division.
The competition was...
6 Aug 2017 - 11:45am | AT News
Come Monday. Amapti wears a festive look since preparations are afoot to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the South West Garo Hills. Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma is scheduled to...
3 Mar 2008 - 9:00am | editor
A firing incident is being reported in the city's Rupnagar area at around 3-15 on Monday afternoon causing panic in the area. Details are awaited. Meanwhile, the Guwahati police have averted a major...
25 Apr 2020 - 7:16pm | AT News
Barpeta: Former headmaster of Juro Ram Pathak Girls' High School Himangshu Pathak breathed his last on Saturday morning at his residence at Gandhinagar, Barpeta. He was 87.
He left...
Rajya Sabha member Birendra Prasad Baishya on Wednesday sought Centre’s assistance help to modernize ferries in Assam two days after around 250 people were believed to have met watery grave when an overloaded boat capsized on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri.
Raising the issue in the zero hour session of parliament, Baishya expressed grief over the accident. He called it one of the worst disastes in the country. He said that there was an urgent need to modernise these ferries.
He said that the ill-fated boat had sold 350 tickets and around 400 passengers were expected to be on board when it was struck by a storm in the Brahmaputra river.
BSF officials are set to hold a crucial meet with their Bangladesh counterparts to discuss the recovery of the victims on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri.
A flag-meeting would be held on the Indo-Bangladesh border somewhere along the Indo-Bangla border. Besides officials of the BSF and Border Guards Bangladesh, the meeting would be attended by the District Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Dhubri and their counterparts of Bangladesh.
The Centre has been in touch with the Bangladesh government to recover bodies of victims of the Brahmaputra boat tragedy that may have been washed downstream to the neighbouring country.
Over 3,700 bottles of Phensedyl, a cough syrup, valued at Rs 3 lakh were today seized from the possession of a person at Guwahati railway station on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip off, the police arrested one Sanjay Singh, who was travelling in the Awadh-Assam Express, and recovered the cough syrup bottles from his posession which were being illegally brought into the state. Singh hails from Katihar in Bihar and was bringing the phensedyl for selling.
The Assam government pulls up its sleeves to modernize the ferry services.
Opening the conference of DCs and SPs in Dispur on Wednesday, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi admitted that the boat tragedy in Dhubri took place because of an old ferry service. He said that the government would lay emphasis on development of river transport to check recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Addressing the DCs and SPs, Gogoi said emphasis has to be given on developing river transport in a big way.
He urged the DCs and SPs to take strong action against those who carry excess load in boats and buses beyond their permissible limits.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visited Medartary on Wednesday two days after the tragic boat mishap claimed over 200 lives.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Bhubneswar Kalita, the AICC general secretary took stock of the search operation. During his stock-taking visit, Gandhi talked conveyed his deep sympathies to the bereaved family members. He further instructed the authorities to expedite the search operation on the river Brahmaputra where over 200 people were believed to have met watery grave when an overloaded boat capsized on Monday.
Earlier, the AICC general secretary landed at the Gopinath Bordoloi International...
Bodies of three more children were fished out of the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri early in the morning on Wednesday.
BSF and NDRF jawans are still on the search operation on the river bed two days after an overloaded boat sank in Dhubri. Over 150 people are believed to have been remaining traceless.
According to police, the search operation would continue through the day and did not rule out the possibility of many bodies being washed downstream to Bangladesh.
AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, along with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi the mishap site on Wednesday afternoon and took stock of the situation.
Assam on Wednesday approached Bangladesh to help the state trace the bodies of Monday’s boat mishap on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri.
According to official sources, the neighbouring country has received the message for help even as BSF and NDRF jawans resumed search operations for the third day on Wednesday.
It was widely believed that strong river currents may have washed away the bodies of over 100 victims downstream to Bangladesh.
The number of casualty is yet to be ascertained although it is estimated that about 270 died in the worst ever boat mishap.
According to information available with the district administration, there were about 350 people on board and only...
Bodies of three more children were fished out of the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri early in the morning on Wednesday.
BSF and NDRF jawans are still on the search operation on the river bed two days after an overloaded boat sank in Dhubri. Over 150 people are believed to have been remaining traceless.
According to police, the search operation would continue through the day and did not rule out the possibility of many bodies being washed downstream to Bangladesh.
AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, along with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi the mishap site on Wednesday afternoon and took stock of the situation.
Tezpur Central University will get the Srimanta Sankaradeva Chair. The University Grants Commission has cleared the establishment of the Chair in the varsity to familiarize students with the values of secularism and non-violence expounded by the saint-scholar.
The confirmation came from DONeR minister Paban Singh Ghatowar who called it a matter of immense pleasure.
SK Srivastava on Tuesday has taken over as the chairman cum managing director with the Oil India Limited.
The upstream petroleum professional with experience and expertise in exploration, drilling and production in oil and gas sector.
He joined OIL in 1977 and has since served in various capacities.
Before taking up his current position, Srivastava was holding the position of Director General, Directorate General of Hydrocarbon, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.
Comments
Pages
Add new comment