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.
One more top ULFA leader has been captured in Myanmar along with a journalist on Saturday. According to information, the top ULFA leader has been identified as Jiban Moran, a close aide of Commander in Chief Paresh Baruah who was captured with a journalist attached with a Guwahati-based English daily. Baruah was very recently appointed finance secretary. Journalist Rajiv Bhattacharjee was believed to have gone to interview ULFA commander in chief Paresh Baruah in the Myanmar jungles. According to an unconfirmed report, Paresh Baruah was also under the captivity.
ULFA commander-in-chief' Paresh Baruah could be hiding in China or Myanmar. This was what Gajraj Corps GoC Lt Gen Shakti Gurung said on Saturday. According to him, there is no specific input on his whereabouts. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Tezpur he said there is no strong base for Maoists in Assam.
Altogether 33 ULFA and NDFB insurgents surrendered before the army and deposited arms, ammunition and explosives in Tezpur on Saturday. All they surrendered at a function organised by the army at the Nehru Maidan here. They include 32 NDFB and one ULFA militant who laid down their arms before GoC Gajraj Corps Lt Gen Shakti Gurung. The arms and ammo include three 7.62 mm AK series assault rifles, 24 pistols, nine hand grenades along with a huge quantity of explosives and ammunition.
The GoC appealed to the youths to lead a normal and fruitful life in keeping with the people's yearning for enduring peace in the state.
Hardly a month after it got reshaped, ULFA’s anti-talk faction struck at two oil tankers in Duliajan on Friday. The outfit further threatened to launch more devastating attacks alleging unabetted exploitation on the state’s natural resources. The banned insurgent outfit bombed two oil tankers causing a ravaging inferno in Tipling on Friday. Around ten fire tenders were called to bring the situation under control. But it took several hours for the OIL authorities to douse the fire.
The insurgent outfit on Friday has owned up the responsibility alleging that these strikes would continue. Notably, a reshaped anti-talk faction of the three decade old insurgent outfit last month...
Amid strident anti mega dam protest KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi on Friday dared Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to clear his government’s position. Addressing a press conference in Lakhimpur, Gogoi said his KMSS would never allow NHPC to build the mega dam at Gerukamukh. Taking pot shot at chief minister, the KMSS leader said that Gogoi lacked proper study on the mega dams built across the globe. He said KMSS would observe anti mega dam week from Saturday to make the people aware of the adverse impact of the mega dams.
A volatile situation erupts in Lakhimpur on Thursday when thousands of people staged massive roadblock to prevent the trucks carrying big dam turbines from proceeding towards Gerukamukh.
From midnight on Thursday, the protesters led by KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi blocked the national highway defying security barricade to stop the movement of the trucks after it left Dholpur after a massive police-protester clash.
Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner Anowaruddin Chaudhury rushed to the spot and urged Akhil Gogoi to clear the highway. But the KMSS leader made it plain that they would not allow the trucks to leave Lakhimpur. He urged the deputy commissioner to take up the massive protest with...
Award winning litterateur Mamoni Raisom Goswami passed away on Tuesday. The end for the Jnyanpith award winner came at around 7-30 in the morning at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital where she was undergoing treatment for the last several months.
The Assamese editor, poet, professor, scholar and writer was born in 1942 in Shillong. She was a celebrated name in the Assamese literary world.
She is the second Assamese recipient of the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in the year 2000.
Dr Goswami received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982, the Jnanpith Award in 2000 and is the country’s first Principal Prince Claus Laureate in 2008.
A few years back, she played...
Assam is all set to go to the Rajya Sabha by-polls for the lone seat on December 22. The election commission announced the poll schedule on Monday. The bye-election has been necessitated due to the death of Silvius Condpan from Congress. The tenure of the Rajya Sabha seat in Assam in till April 2 in, 2016. Notification for the bye-elections would be issued on December 5. The last date of filing of nomination is December 12. The nominations would be scrutinised the next day. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 15 and polling would be held on December 22. The results would be announced the same day.
Despite heavy presence of security forces, the United Liberation front of Asom observed its Protest Day on Monday. In an e-mail, ULFA acting chairman, Dr Abhijit Barmon reiterated strong goal for a sovereign and independent Assam. He said that they observed the day in the Mobile Central Headquarters.
Dr Barmon paid homage to those who lost their lives in the decade old armed struggle. He alleged that the Centre has been inflicting tortures upon the people of Assam imposing a set of draconian laws. Notably, the outfit has been observing November 28 as Protest Day since it was banned in 1990.
On the other hand, security forces were kept on maximum alert apprehending strikes across the...
The Asom Gana Parishad concluded its general council meeting in Guwahati amid unruly scenes on Monday. It took place following an alleged remark on former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta passed by one of the party member. A section of the other members strongly criticized the party leadership for the repeated poll debacles. The general council cleared some changes in the party constitution and the copies of the party constitution would also be sent to all the districts. The party will also have some committees to be set up afresh.
Presided over by party president Chandra Mohan Patowary, the meeting took some other decision to revive the image.
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