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.
Journalists’ Forum Assam in association with Nature’s Beckon has organized a citizen’s meet to discuss about the menace of increasing incidents of man-wildlife conflicts in Assam. The meeting, scheduled to start on 11 am of March 14 at Guwahati Press Club, is expected to adopt some resolutions which may be sent to the policy makers in due course of time.
Environment organizations and also interested citizens are invited for the meet to share their experiences and relevant suggestions.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced a set of measures to give the education sector a fresh lease of life.
In his budget, the chief minister proposed a women varsity in Jorthat, 21 poly technique institutes, scholarship for lower primary and high school students and Rajiv Gandhi school for poor students.
He said government proposes a 50 crore rupee fund to uplift the primary education sector. He said the government would give away free computers for 50 per cent mark holders in the HSLC examinations.
More and more tigers are roaring in Guwahati these days. A full grown leopard unleashed a reign of terror in Guwahati on Monday. The leopard who was believed to have come down from the nearby dense jungles managed to intrude into the CRPF camp in Ninethmile area in Guwahati in the morning.
It suddenly stormed into a room where a constable houses. Immediately after spotting it, the tiger was confined to the room. Later forest department officials lifted it to the Assam State Zoo.
Good news for Sonapur. The local residents in the tiny and beautiful spot in the outskirt of Guwahati have reasons to cheer.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has proposed a UNO research centre in his budget table in the Assembly on Monday.
Apart from this, the chief minister announced a new golf course in this place.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi doles out a number of sops when he tabled state budget for 2012-2013 on the floor of the House on Monday. Gogoi, has claimed that the NSDP figure grew by 5.30 per cent.
In his budget speech, Gogoi proposed 21 new polytechnique institutes, a film archive to be named after Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Dr Indira Goswami Chair in Gauhati university , Sati Joymoti award. He proposed to hike the amount of pension for freedom fighters to Rs 8000 per month.
In a bid to encourage the agriculture sector, the chief minister proposed loan for farmers for 2 per cent interest. Apart from these, he announced a Rs 10 crore special project for PWD.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has tabled a Rs 293.44 crore deficit budget for the year 2012-2013 on the floor on Monday.
Gogoi, who also holds the finance portfolio has claimed to have improved the state’s financial health. Details awaied.
Railway security forces have apprehended altogether nine illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Guwahati station Saturday. They were detained after they failed to produce valid document when sought. They said that they entered into the Indian territory in Tripura on Thursday and that they arrived in Guwahati en route to Alipurduwar. RPF officials said that they crossed the border on March 7 and reached Agartala and from there they headed to Badarpur in Karimganj district. The Bangladeshi nationals will be produced before the Foreigners' Tribunal on Monday.
Burma Centre Delhi would soon launch a forum involving all north east MPs to raise the issue of Myanmar in a better way in Parliament.
According to information, the forum will be made on the lines of the Indian MPs’ forum for Bangladesh, which is doing great work on various bilateral issues between the two countries. The forum will create a congenial atmosphere for talks between the two countries through people-to-people interactions and even problems like economic influx to the prosperous region can be taken up.
The Manas National Park is set to get two orphaned one-horned rhinos from Kaziranga n Sunday under the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India.
The rhinos were being shifted from Kaziranga National Park to Manas National Park on Saturday night under tight security. Named as Maju and Raja, they were under care of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation in Kaziranga, where they were hand-raised by experienced veterinarians.
Both the incidents occurred in Kaziranga National Park. According to information, the one-horned rhinos are being reintroduced in Manas National Park through translocation from Pobitara Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National...
A primary school was completely gutted devastating fire broke out in Dhubri on Saturday. The incident took place in the evening in the heart of the town. The fire was spotted at around. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot. But by then the entire school building was gutted in fire.
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