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.
Giving importance to the domestic animals under a preventive measure for disaster risk reduction programme, Morigaon Mahila Mehfil has been conducting Cattle Vaccination and Awareness Camps at flood vulnerable areas of Laharighat and Mayang Block on March 24-28. This programme is being organized with the financial support of Oxfam India and technical support of District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Deptt. Morigaon.
This is part of an initiative Morigaon Mahila Mehfil supported by Oxfam India. The project aims to initiate disaster risk reduction covering 20 worst flood prone villages under Morigaon district. The 20 villages are located in two development block of Mayang and...
Hours after a fierce gun battle in Sivasagar ULFA militants exploded a powerful grenade in Doomdooma in Tinsukia district on Saturday.
The explosion took place at around 11 night. There is no report of any casualty. Earlier, a hardcore ULFA cadre belonging to the Paresh Baruah led faction was seriously injured during an encounter with security forces along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sivasagar district on Saturday.
Chief Minister’s vigilance cell has named 39 persons including two DRDA contractors in the multi crore green house scam in the chargesheet filed before the special court in Guwahati on Saturday.
Apart from the 55 DRDA officials, the cell has named Arman Sheikh and Prabal Sheikh in the scam where sub standard materials were supplied t the farmers to build green house. The duo were known for their close association with the then minister rural develoment minister Sahidul Alom Chaudhury.
The criminal investigation department on Saturday filed chargesheet against former APSC chairman and former MLA Dr Tara Prasad Das in the alleged anomalies in the selection of candidates in the Assam Public Service Commission.
The chief minister’s vigilance cell on Saturday indicted 157 education department officials and contractors in the crore rupee operation black board scam that rocked the Mahanta regime in the second term. A circle of corrupt education department official in close association with some contractors pocketed crores of rupees supplying sub standard materials to the schools under the scheme.
A hardcore ULFA militant belonging to the Paresh Baruah faction sustained injury during an encounter with Assam Rifles at Takubasti along the Assam-Nagaland border on Saturday.
The encounter took place at Takubasti area under Charaideu police station in Sibasagar district in the evening. According to police, a 5-member ULFA group opened fire on a patrol group of Assam Rifles and bullets were exchanged, where a hardcore cadre was injured. But he managed to flee from the spot. Later security forces recovered an AK-86 automatic rifle from the encounter spot.
Assam police and Assam Rifles troops rushed to the area and a search operation was launched to nab the militants. It is the...
A TADA court in Guwahati on Saturday acquitted ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and six others in a sensational shoot out in Sivasagar citing lack of evidence.
Rajkhowa, along with vice chairman Pradeep Gogoi, Kushal Deori, appeared before the TADA court in connection with the killing of Biju Majinder Baruah. Hearing both sides, the court acquitted the ULFA leaders saying that the authorities lack proper evidence to implicate them in the case that took place in 1990.
Security forces intercepted a huge quantity of ganja and in Karimganj and Dhubri districts of Assam bordering Bangladesh.
BSF seized over 90 kg of ganja valued at over Rs five lakh from a boat in the riverine Burapahar area at Shismara border outpost in Dhubri district. Two persons on the boat were being questioned.
In Karimganj district, 71 gm of brown sugar valued at Rs eight lakh in the international market was seized from a man identified as Mujibur Rahman on the Indo-Bangla border in a joint operation by the BSF and police.
A hardcore militant of the Karbi Peoples' Liberation Tigers was killed and two others injured in an encounter with security forces in Karbi Anglong on Friday.
The encounter took place in Bokolia in the hills district. Acting on a tip-off, the joint forces of Assam police and the Army arrested also three KPLT cadres after the encounter. Two AK-56 automatic rifles, one .76 revolver and some extortion notes were recovered from the militants.
KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi on Friday alleged huge deployment of security forces to ensure mega dam construction at Gerukamukh. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, Gogoi said that KMSS would never allow the NHPC to build big dam.
He further dared chief minister Tarun Gogoi to hold an open debate anywhere in the state to back the NHPC-owned big dams. He said Assam will have nothing to be benefitted from the mega dam to be built along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
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