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.
Jorhat police on Friday got remand of Panchi Gogoi Dutta after they arrested the main accused in the Ginoria kidnapping cases on March 10.
A lower court in Jorhat remanded Dutta to five days police custody after she was produced before it. She was arrested from Deoghoria with the help of Nagaland police acting on the confessional statements of Nayanjyoti Phukam, Naba Gogoi, Rina Neog, Mrinal Neog and Aftabuddin Ahmed who was arrested on Thursday from Titabor.
Olympic-qualified Shiva Thapa in 56kg assured India of at least two bronze medals at the 43rd men's and women's Boxing Grand Prix after reaching the semifinals of the event in Czech Republic. Shiva, who has been picked in the team for next month's Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kazakhstan, defeated Hungary's Nagy Kriztian 11-3. The promising Assam-lad will now face Czech Republic's Velky Patrik.
Noted author Dr Purabi Bormudoi has received the Assam Valley Literary Award at a function in Guwahati on Friday.
Dr Bormudoi, who has authored several epoch-making books in Assamese and English has received the prestigious Williamson Magor sponsored award from Veteran litterateur Sirashendu Mukherjee for her outstanding contribution to Assamese litterateur.
Assam on Friday clinched the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy defeating Chandigarh 2-0 in the 34th Sub-Junior National Football tournament at the Nehru stadium. The home team scored a goal in each half as they blanked Chandigarh and seized the initiative right from the kick-off.
They were eventually rewarded in the 11th minute when Milan Basumataray slotted home from close after being fed by Lalzeiram Hmar from the right – a lead which Assam maintained till the interval.
Security forces have apprehended 6 Bangladeshi infiltrators from two separate places during the last 24 hours. BSF personnel on Friday arrested two Bangladeshi nationals Ashraful Islam and Hazrat Aali from Dhubri district.
The duo were intercepted while they were trying to cross the border. Rs 2 lakh in cash was recovered from them. Before that on Friday we hours four Bangladeshi infiltrators were arrested from a hotel in Silchar.
For the first time, A mountaineer from Assam is set to scale the highest peak in the world — Mount Everest. Pranay Bordoloi, a senior journalist with a Guwahti based private satellite channel will join a 12-member international team on their mission to climb Mount Everest in mid-May. He will depart Guwahati in April. Talking to reporters on Friday, Bardoloi said that Wang Fu-Chou, an internationally acclaimed mountaineer of South Korea, will lead the 12- member team from Kathmandu, said Bordoloi. He will leave Guwahati for Kathmandu on 3 April to join the rest of the members of the team.
Guwahati has been a safe transit route for a section of arms smugglers these days. Guwahati Railway police have arrested a twenty year old youth in the Platanbazar station.
A pistol and three cartridges were recovered from him who was identified as Saizuddin Ali. He was boarding on the Kanchanzanga train from Bongaigoan on early Friday morning. According to police, the arrested youth belongs to a gang of dacoits.
Dispur is all set to encourage young writers and researchers with scholarships. But the topic should be on the indigenous issues confronting the state for years.
Disclosing this, education minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that under the scheme, young litterateurs would be eligible for scholarship of up to Rs 1 lakh for undertaking basic research and the state government would also help them to get their works published. He said that the litterateurs would also receive 40 per cent royalty in case they decide to have their completed works published by the state-run Prakashan Parishad.
Assam cabinet sub committee report on NRC would get cabinet recommendation next week. If everything goes well, NRC updating is expected to start from July.
Disclosing this at a press conference in Guwahati, Assam accord implementation minister said, “the cabinet sub-committee on NRC will give its recommendations to the state government by March 27 after which it will be sent to the Centre for final modifications." The issue of updating the NRC in Assam has been a subject of controversy in the last few years. The government had started the work on updating the registrar in 2010, but the process was stalled following opposition by several minority organisations.
Punjab beat Assam by nine wickets with nine overs to spare to storm into the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 All India knockout tournament at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.
Assam was sent to bat and was shackled to a measly 116 for nine before riding on an unbroken and aggressive century stand for the second wicket between Sarul Kanwar and Gurkeerat Singh to reach the target in only 11 overs.
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