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.
ULFA steps up strikes a week before its foundation day. A BSF man was injured when ULFA militants ambushed a patrol party in Goalpara district of Assam on Friday.
The ambush took place at Dudhnoi in the evening. The patrol party was attacked by the anti-talk faction of ULFA while on the way to the BSF camp. The injured BSF man was shifted to the Goalpara Civil Hospital.
Assam seems to have improved on a few vital fronts. According to the provisional census data released in Guwahati on Friday, 44.1% of households avail banking services, as against 20.5% as reported in the previous Census. In the rural areas, 38.3 % people avail banking services and figure in urban areas is over 75%.
Over 66 percent of households resided in homes having walls made of grass, thatch or bamboo. But, 74.2% houses had roofs made of GI, metal or asbestos sheets.
For 37.1 % households electricity was the main source of lighting, up from 25 % in 2001 Census. But kerosene remained the major source of light for 61.8 % households and 0.8% were using solar power.
Only 54.8% of...
The month long Assam Assembly’s budget session adjourned sine die on Friday a day after Speaker Pranab Gogoi met the Opposition party members to end the stalemate.
The opposition members joined the House proceedings as soon as the question hour began at 9 in the morning where panchayat and rural development minister Rockybul Hussain replied to the questions posed by the members.
The Assam police accountability commission has tabled its report on the floor on the last day of the session which began on March 1.
The Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) has raised voices for more dignified space for working journalists on duty to cover the proceedings of State Legislative Assembly at Dispur. Submitting a memorandum to Pranab Gogoi, Speaker, Assam Assembly today (March 31, 2012), the organization argues that the journalists, photo-journalists and camera persons belonged to both print and television media have increased their number in recent years and often it is observed that ‘the assigned media persons have to cover the Assembly sessions’ with lot of difficulties due to ‘non-availability of any specified space for them inside the Assembly campus’.
The forum urges for a...
For the third consecutive day, the Opposition parties continue to boycott the proceedings in the Assam Assembly. But the House proceedings are going on in the absence of the Opposition members.
The House proceeding began at 9 in the morning. But the Opposition members staged silent demonstration outside the House demanding withdrawal of “unparliamentary” word slammed against AIUDF members by Speaker Pranab Gogoi.
The 500 hour long economic blockade continues to disrupt movement of traffic between Assam and Meghalaya through Boko for the second consecutive day.
Convened by a number local organizations, hundreds of protesters blocked Hahim where hundreds of coal laden trucks are remaining stranded.
The protestors alleged that the neighbouring state has been trying to occupy Langpih in view of its rich natural resources.
The Income Tax department continues to conduct raid on a section of private nursing hospitals across the state. Senior IT officials conducted raids at Aditya Hospitals in Dibrugarh and Sivasagar on Thursday morning.
Notably, they conducted similar raids at the GNRC Hospitals in Guwahati on Wednesday. The raid began at 2-30 in the afternoon and continued till midnight.
Good news for Assam. The state would soon have representation in the Supreme Court.
A panel of judges set up to recommend Supreme Court judge has recommended Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s name as judge in the country’s apex court.
Justice Gogoi, the son of former Assam Chief Minister Keshab Gogoi is now in a stint as Chief Justice with Punjab and Haryana High Court has been recommended by the Collegium of Judges — headed by Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia — for elevation to the Supreme Court.
Justice Gogoi, who became a permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001, was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 9, 2010. He...
The newly raised HQ 22 Sector Assam Rifles symbolically unfurled its flag at Haflong Assam Rifles garrison. The flag was hoisted by the DIG, Brig Gajinder Singh, the first Commander of the newly raised Sector in the presence of Addl DIG, Col R Nair, Officers, JCOs, WO s and other ranks of the Sector HQ.
Speaking to the media, Brig Gajinder Singh said that the newly raised Sector HQ would shortly take over the responsibility of Dima Hasao Dist. He emphasized that HQ 22 Sector Assam Rifles would work in close cooperation with the Autonomous Council, civil administration, Assam Police, and the media for creating a safe and secure environment for the people of Dima Hasao district. He...
Three city based journalists have been selected for the next GNRC Media Fellowship programme, who are expected to start their activities from early next month. Selected fellows namely Nituparna Rajbongshi (Asomiya Pratidin), Prafulla Kumar Das (Ajir Dainik Batori) and Azhar Alam (Pratah Khabar) will study and report about the healthcare facilities and its accessibility to common people in northeast India. “We are planning to start the fellowship program from the first week of April. The selected fellows will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 /- each for three months,” informed Dr NC Bora, CMD of GNRC Hospitals. The GNRC Media Fellowship programme is run by the management...
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