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.
Ledo is all abuzz. The Assam Sahitya Sabha is holding the special session from Wednesday. Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi will inaugurate the special session to be concluded on February 5. Sahitya Akademy’s regional secretary Dr Ram Kumar Mukherjee will open the Mamoni Roisom Goswami Book Fair at 11 in the morning.
Assam observed Me-dam-me-phi on Tuesday to worship of ancestors by the Ahoms.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi participated in the community function held at Sukapha Nagar here and greeted the people of the state on the occasion.
Chief Minister highlighted the features of the festival and pointed out that there are many different tribes in the state.
Me-dam-me-phi is observed by the Ahoms on January 31 every year to pay obeisance to the ancestors and remember their contribution to society.
The Centre and ULFA’s pro talk faction are gearing up for yet another round of peace talks in February.
According to sources, the ULFA delegation is expected to hold talks with Union home ministry heavyweights in presence of peace interlocutor in the first fortnight of February.
Notably, it would be the second round of talks since the banned insurgent outfit submitted their charter of demands before the Centre.
Security forces step up their offensive against NSCN militants who are unleashing a string of violence in Dima Hasao district. The militant of the Naga insurgent outfits have been arrested in on Monday.
The NSCN militants were arrested during a combing operation in Lodi areas in the morning. Four AK-47 rifles have been seized from their possession along with eight magazines and 515 rounds of live bullets. They were identified as Keisibng Zemi and Senglovi wazmi. Keishing was involved in the abduction and killing in Umrangsu.
Three persons died when a Tata Magic vehicle collided its head on a truck in Barpeta district on Monday. The accident took place at Simalaguri at around 9 in the evening where three persons died on the spot.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday launched three new schemes in Assam to give new born babies and pregnant women dose of good news.
Named as Janani Sishu Suraksha Karyakram, the scheme provides free transport from home to institution, between facilities in case of a referral and a drop back home. The Union minister also launched 23 mobile medical units for the 23 sub-divisions in the state.
Azad, who arrived here on Sunday to review the performance of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the state, lauded the efforts of the Assam government for making it a success. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, said that Gandhiji's principles and ideals have...
There seems to be hardly any hope for Mahendra Das if the Supreme court refuses to listen to him. The Guahati High Court on Monday rejected his plea to commute his death sentence to lifer a few days after it completed hearing of the petition.
But his family members are likely to move the supreme court seeking justice. On April 24 in 1996, Mahendra Das beheaded Harakanta Das in Guwahati and surrendered before police with the severed head.
He was jailed in 1997 following his death sentence by a lower court in Guwahati. The Gauhati High court and Supreme Court upheld capital punishment in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Mahendra's mother moved a mercy petition to the then President...
Three persons including a child died at a tragic road accident in Barpeta district on Monday.
The accident took place at around 5-30 in the evening when a speeding truck rammed into a motorcycle at Gobardhana. The deceased were identified as Apurba Kock, his wife Satyabati Koch and their son Palashjyoti. Two others injured in the accident have been rushed to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital.
As a result of a long battle with a deadly disease Shantanu Goswami passed away on the January 19 at Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi. Shantanu served as Research Assistant in the Department of Planning and Development, Government of Assam.
Born to Sri Prabhat Goswami and Anjali Goswami of Guwahat on August 1971 Shantanu Goswami was a brilliant student. He started his education at Barpeta Nursery and Primary School and passed his primary school examination with a scholarship. From class four to class seven he studied at the Barpeta Vidyapeeth and later on joined the Ulubari High School at Guwahati wherefrom he passed High School Leaving Certificate Examination in the first division....
With much pomp and gaiety of Saraswati puja grips Assam on Saturday.
Dressed in traditional Assamese attires, Schools and colleges girls are thronging the schools and colleges to offer puja to the goddess of learning. An undeclared beauty contest seems to have take place among the girls in Guwahati. Beauty parlours in the city are teeming with the girls from the premier colleges like Handique College, Cotton College and B Baruah College.
Several competition and cultural programems are being organised to mark the occasion.
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