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.
Massive water logging disrupts normal life in Guwahati following a heavy downpour that lashed the city on Friday. Rains and storm lashed the entire city at around 3-30 which continued till 4-30 in some areas inundating the city’s G S Road and RG Baruah road in the evening.
Hours after the heavy downpour, Ganeshguri, Zoo Road, Chandmari, Bhangagarh, Lachitnagar, Anil Nagar and Nabin nagar area came under the raibn waters. There are reports of land slips in Ganeshguri and Kahilipara area in the city where traffic snarls adds to the woes of the pedestrians. Power cut has made the life more miserable in the evening.
Aaranyak is organizing a series of awareness programme as part of its ‘Brahmaputra River Dolphin Day, 2011’ on the occasion of the International Fresh Water Dolphin Day, i.e. 24th October. The programme is focused on spreading information and knowledge among the general public including students about Gangetic Dolphin (called “Xihu” in Assam), the National and State Aquatic Animal.
The programme is being organized in association with Zoological Society of London (ZSL), UK, for the first time in Assam. The programme will begin at 9.30 A.M on October 23rd at Sudmersion Hall, Cotton College with an interaction of children/ students. Interaction with experts on...
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday strongly criticised L K Advani a day after the senior BJP leader slammed Congress government for corruption and mis-governance.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, Gogoi said it is only BJP which has institutionalized corruption. Gogoi said time and again BJP has been facing corruption charges in the country.
Gogoi also criticised Advani for opposing the land deal with Bangladesh saying that the senior BJP leader does not know how the deal would benefit the north eastern region.
He charged the erstwhile NDA government with not doing enough to Assam and its neighbouring north eastern states.
Train drivers in Barak valley are holding road blockade on Friday demanding immediate release of two drivers who were abducted by suspected Reang militants. The militants kidnapped the train drivers Tarun Kumar Bhattacharjee and his assistant S K Sarmah after stopping it at Ramnathpur in Hailakandi district bordering Mizoram early in the morning. They were kidnapped on their way from Badarpur in Karimganj district to Bhairavi in Mizoram. Security forces have launched an operation to trace the two men. Efforts are also on to run the train by sending new drivers at the spot.
The Kaziranga National Park will open for the tourists on November 1. The abode of one horned rhinoceros along with some species of birds and animals are have been remaining closed from May 1. It was closed for the annual four month monsoon break.
As the date of the reopening comes closer, the park authorities gearing up to welcome the tourists with improved communication measures.
The KNP officials are visiting the various ranges to oversee the preparations.
The Kaziranga National Park attracts the maximum number of visitors along with Manas National Park, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park and Porbitaro Sanctuary.
The Kaziranga National Park earned a revenue amount...
Liberal Youth Forum (LYF) had organized a one day seminar on Transparency, Campus Governance and Role of Youth on 19th October at Darwin School of Business. The seminar had focused on topics like Right to Information Act, Transparency and Campus governance. Speaking on transparency and campus governance, Ranjan K Baruah, National Core Team Member of LYF said that transparency in the campuses is must if we have to root out corruption. Talking about the importance of transparency he said that colleges or universities publishes annual magazine with various reports which are available for the students but financial statement or the audit statement are hardly seen by any students.
“For...
The Tarun Gogoi government comes in for sharp criticism for the land deal with Bangaldesh as the Assam Assembly is debating the issue on Monday. The day long special session began at around 9 in the morning. Initiating the discussion, minister Nilamoni Sen Deka defended the deal and said that it will help the region restore good relation with Bangladesh. He said it will mark the end of a number of issues confronting Assam.
BJP member Prasanta Phukan said that the deal was signed keeping the state and its people in dark. He demanded a clear cut reply from chief minister Tarun Gogoi what forced him to keep it secret. He further asked why the government failed to come out with a white...
The Assam Assembly holds the special session on Monday to discuss the recent land deal with Bangaldesh. The House proceedings are set to begin at nine in the morning. The ruling Congress and BPF are gearing up to defend the Tarun Gogoi government which struck the land deal despite a storm of protest. The Opposition AGP, BJP, AIUDF are set to stand united against the government citing the land deal.
Meanwhile, Dispurs turns into a security fortress where police bring huge barricades at the Last Gate to ensure normalcy on Monday. The opposition parties held talks to finalized the strategies on the floor. Notably, various political parties criticized the government after the country inked...
AGP leader and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Sunday said that the land deal must be scrapped at any cost a day before the Assam Assembly debates the controversy. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Sunday, Mahanta said that the government betrayed the people and the political parties. “The Centre asked for the state’s opinion before the deal was signed. But the government failed to take the House in confidence, ” he said.
He said,” Karimganj deputy commissioner wrote to Dispur complaining that NBCC and NPCC left a huge plot to Bangaldesh when they were erecting border fencing. But I d’nt understand why the government...
Security forces seized a huge cache of explosives, including RDX, were recovered on Saturday in Sonitpur district on Saturday. According to Sonitpur superintendent of police Anand Prakash Tiwari, acting on a tip off, security forces recovered 10 RDX, 44 detonators, 200gm of gun powder, 18 meters of cortex wire, 14 safety fuses along with 500 gm of other explosive powder.
The explosives were kept at a hole near the railway track connecting Balipara with Bhalukpung bordering Arunachal Pradesh. The explosives were believed to have belonged to NDFB. No one has been arrested in this connection.
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