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.
National Union of Journalists Assam chapter in association with Gramya Vikas Mancha has organized a media workshop on climate change and disaster risk reduction on June 6. The workshop will be held at Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok and begin at 10 am.
Dr Arabinda Mishra, director of Earth Science and Climate Change Division, The Energy and Resources Institute...
There seems to be some respite for Guwahatians as the rainwaters are receding slowly. But the low laying areas of Lachit Nagar, Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar are still under water and mud.
If Shillong is renowned for the Bob Dylan fest which is presently into its 38th year, Guwahati - the gateway city to the Northeast – may very well be regarded as the new “tribute capital” of the world. Thanks to a few noble souls, musicians and music lovers of the city have actually immortalised a number of legendary musicians from different parts of the globe. However, the buzzword in music circles, of late, is the tribute to the “iron man of metal” Ronnie James Dio on June 11 next.
A pall of gloom seems to have got cast over the entire rock fraternity worldwide ever since news about Dio’s demise passed around. For Ronnie can very well be said to...
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his counterpart Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma is going to meet on Saturday at 4:30pm at Assam Secretariat, Guwahati to discuss Langpih border issue.
Government is waiting for response from the ULFA for peace talk, said GK Pillai, Union Home Secretary. Pillai told this to reporters at a press conference on Thursday at Shillong.
The northeastern premier city of Guwahati has come under artificial flood following a heavy downpour that lashed the city for several hours on Thursday. The rainwaters in many parts of the city are refusing to recede on Friday.
Photo: UB Photos
Frontline staff of Kokrajhar Wild Life Division were sensitised on various laws relevant for handling of forest and wildlife crimes and about preparation of arrest memo, forwarding report, offence report, FIR, seizure list, complaints petition in a day-long legal orientation programme organised on May 26 at Saraikhola Forest IB of Chakrasila Wild Life Sanctuary.
The camp was jointly organised by Kokrajhar Wildlife Division, Bodoland Teritorial Council and AARANYAK, a society for biodiversity conservation, in presence of C Ramesh, the DFO. The legal-orientation camp was organised for Kokrajhar Wildlife Division for the first time.
The resource person of the training programme was...
The sound that can melt hearts, the melody that can be felt within & the symphony that can bring a head bangers ball, in short this is what Farmaan can be defined as. Farmaan doesn’t have a constrained genre as all the members are having varied influences and musical inclination. It likes to do constant experiments with all kinds of music varying from classic rock...
The London Bihu Committee (LBC) held their annual Rongali Bihu celebration on Sunday, the 2nd May 2010 in dreadful weather conditions, that were typically British. Still, few people let that stand in their way from attending the event, which surpassed even last year’s grand success. The festival was particularly notable for its success in attracting a new wave of Assamese diaspora as well as the regulars who have been attending for years.
The event remained at the same venue as last year in Hornchurch, East London. The hall is bigger and the facilities superior than any used in recent years. For the second consecutive year, the Committee were delighted that the venue was...
The Asom Association Kuwait celebrated Rongali Bihu over two days on 16th April and 14th May 2010. The main Rongali Bihu function was celebrated as “Manas Robin Xondhiya” on 14th May 2010. The venue for the celebrations was the gorgeous Royal Ballroom of Asia Asia Restaurant in Kuwait City. The programme started at 7:15 PM with the felicitation of the Guests, Hon’ble Ambassador of India to Kuwait, His Excellency, Sri Ajai Malhotra, his wife Smt Ira Malhotra and the guest artists Sri Manas Robin and Sri Hemanta Borah followed by lighting of the ceremonial lamp by them. President of the Asom Association Kuwait, Mr. Bikash Jyoti Gogoi in his inaugural speech, welcomed the...
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