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.
Bangladesh would soon extradite ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia as soon as the legal process completes.
Disclosing this, Bangladesh home minister Sahara Khatun said in Delhi that Dhaka won’t detain him after the court procedure is over. She also said that the extradition treaty to exchange the fugitives was at the final stage. Before that she held a crucial round of talks with Union home minister P Chidambaram where they agreed to end border firing incidents.
Guwahati would hold a huge rally on Sunday and Monday to unit the mega dam protestors. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, organizers Ajit Kumar Bhuyan and Udayaditya Bharali said that renowned dam experts including Ramswamy Aiyer, Himangsu Thakkar and Ruhan D Suza who would address the rally.
Two more persons died allegedly because of starvation in a tea garden in Cachar district. The two workers have died at Bhuvan Valley tea garden on February 18 and February 22. This was what the Barak Human Rights Protection Committee alleged on Friday.Notably, the garden was closed for four months from October 8, 2011 to February 8, 2012 and the labourers did not receive any wages which led to the starvation deaths of eighteen workers.Notably, the toll in the garden allegedly due to starvation rose to 12 in the garden during the last six months. The garden re-opened on February 9. But its authorities have still not taken any positive actions Bin terms of providing urgent medical and food...
Assam Chief Minster Tarun Gogoi on Friday sharply criticized noted social activist Medha Patkar a day after she called upon the people to stand united against the NHPC owned big dams.
Speaking at a function in Guwahati, Gogoi said that big dam would give the state pace of development and that what Patkar said was totally baseless.
Notably, the social activist on Thursday addressed a huge rally in Lakhimpur where she criticized the government for proceeding with the deal with NHPC.
Power minister Pradyut Bordoloi inaugurated the 2nd machinery mart 2012 at a function in Guwahati on Friday.
Renowned manufacturing companies displayed their best machineries in the mart being organised at the Maniram Dewan centre by the CII. Machines like evacuators, cranes and stationary would make the construction works more easier. The mart would conclude on February 27.
Assam director general of police Jayanta Narayan Chauidhury on Tuesday has expressed grave concern over the stepped up activities of the Maoist cadres in at least seven districts.
Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Tuesday he said that there were reports of Maoist activities from Golaghat, Sivsagar, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh.
He said that there were some areas under about 22 police stations in these districts where the red rebels are active and trying to cobble support.
His comment assumed significance two days after Union home minister P Chidambaram met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati and reviewed the law and order situation.
More and more rhinoceros have been translocated to Manas National Park from Kaziranga. This was done on Monday under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020. The four one-horned endangered rhinos were translocated from Kaziranga National Park and later released in the Buraburijhar range of Manas on Monday. With the latest translocation, a total of 16 rhinos have been released into the wild in Manas National Park, under the Rhino Vision programme.
The Sikkim Lok Sabha MP, Mr Prem Das Rai is an epitome of purposeful entry into politics with his remarkable commitment and idealist standing in public life. A highly educated man from the best of Institutions and with a background of having worked in Corporates, he is a man in a mission. Though he is serving his first term in the Lok Sabha, he exudes a veteran’s qualities with his sound understanding of his own State and the entire north east. Today he is amongst the few most promising leaders from the north east in Indias political horizon who has a clear roadmap for the future. We met him in a rainy morning in New Delhi. Some excerpts of our interview
Q: - Sikkim is least...
A set of spell binding performances by members of the late Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's family, the gospel-choir group, the Nagaland Singing Ambassadors, and the father of Naga blues, Rewben Mashangva, and his 11-year-old son Saka, from Manipur, lifted spirits and brought the rich sounds and enchanting melodies of the North-east to Delhi this evening.
Organized by the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research at the Indian International Centre, the performancesto a packed audience began with an hour-long tribute to Dr. Hazarika by his nephew Mayukh and his wife Laili Dutta Hazarika who brought an ensemble of musicians from Guwahati and played some of the maestro's best known compositions...
Dibrugarh police have arrested four ULFA militants in on Sunday. Acting on a tip off, a police team led by superintendent of Police Arabinda Kalita launched an operation in Phulbagan area where the four ULFA cadres were arrested. Six grenades and 150 live bullets were seized from their possession. The arrested cadres were identified as Numul Gogoi from Moran and Dipankar Borah from Chabua, Dulu Saikia and Robin Borah. Police interrogation is going on to extract more information.
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