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.
Twenty four hours after ULFA Commander in Chief Paresh Baruah’s threatening, the rebel outfit on Thursday said that its chairman Arabinba Rajkhowa was arrested in Bnagladesh only after Dhaka struck a deal with a huge amount of money with Delhi.
In its mouthpiece Swadhinota, the proscribed outfits alleged government’s lack of interest and goodwill for holding talks with ULFA. The outfit also charged the government with trying to downplay the image of the ULFA leaders in their captivity. “With goodwill we set up PCG to carry forward the peace process. But it stopped only because of a circle of people who does not want peace in Assam,” it said.
According to the...
The United Liberation Front of Asom on threatens to launch a massive attack on security forces along with a section of police and intellectuals waging war against them. In an e-mail statement, ULFA Commander in Chief Paresh Baruah on Tuesday said they would also target national celebrations like Independence Day and Republic Day. Baruah said his outfit will not target the public places and that people in general will punish any ULFA cadre responsible for any explosion in public place. He further warns of dire consequences against the intellectuals and villagers acting as police informers.
Baruah's statement comes up at at a time when government is trying to hold talk with the ULFA top...
Once again the best of the music talent in the Northeast will get a chance to showcase their immense talent in the newly released album The Great Eastern Rock Volume 2 which have hit stands. This time 17 bands have been chosen out of 723 entries to be featured in this album which is available free of cost with TNT-The Northeast Today Magazine.
'The first Great Eastern Rock CD had a tremendous response and we were all pleasantly surprised with the response of the readers of the magazine and the music fans and we have taken note of all the recommendations to ensure that this album is better than ever' says Geetharatha Mushahary who also works as the talent spotter in the TNT team. With...
The Centre is ready to talk with ULFA if they drop the sovereignty demand. Reiterating it at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Union home minister P Chidambaram said that if the rebel outfit operating in Assam wants to sit in talk with the government they must eschew the path of violence. The Union minister further hoped that the ULFA do these in 2010 to ensure a meaningful peace process. On the other hand, the Centre has extended the ceasefire term with NDFB and DHD(J). During this period, there will be no crackdown against the two rebel outfits.
A moderate intensity earthquake has jolted Assam and its neighbouring north eastern states on Thursday. The tremor was felt at around 3-28 in the afternoon forcing a section of residents in Guwahati to come out of their houses. However, there is no immediate report of any casualty and damage. The quake has rattled two days after the quake of 5.4 intensity that jolted the region on Tuesday. Details are awaited.
Immense resources available for development for the north eastern region will come up for a thought provoking discussion as the non resident Indians from Assam will rub shoulders on January 11 and 12 in Guwahati. Organised by the Friends of Assam & Seven Sisters, the two days event will begin at the Machkhowa Cultural Complex on January 11. Disclosing this at a press conference, the Assamese NRI club officials said in Guwahati that summit will discuss the potentials to uplift the region's solar power, rural health, oil-energy and human resources. The summit will be attended also by a few prominent scientists who are at work in various parts of the country.
The fifth North Eastern Business Summit to woo investment from outside, organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region would be held in Kolkata on January 8 and 9. According to informaiton, organised by DoNER, in the summit, Indian Chamber of Commerce took the initiative to bring foreign investors from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia besides leading business groups.
All chief ministers of the region, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Minister for DoNER, B K Handique, Union Commerce Minister, Ananda Sharma are scheduled to participate in the summit. Noyably, the first North East Business Summit was held in Mumbai in 2002...
A court in Dibrugarh has remanded ULFA top leader Raja Borah to seven days police custody after he was produce before it on Sunday. Borah, the body guard of ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, has a pending murder case registered against him with Joipur police station. He was sought in the murder of Cheniram Borah, a resident of Barhoni gaon near Nahorkatiya in 2005. It may be recalled that he was produced before Kamrup Chief Judicial magistrate on Saturday along with ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and military spokesman Raju Baruah and the duo were remanded to judicial custody and ordered Bora to be sent to Dibrugarh.
A strong earthquake has struck Assam and its neighbiuring areas pushing panic button among the people on Tuesday. The massive jolt was felt at 2-32 in the afteroon forcing a section of the people in Guwahati to come out of their homes immediately after the tremor. According to the US Geologocal Survey Centre, the intensity of the tremor stands at 5.4 in the Richter scale and its epicentre was Myanmar-India border. There is, however, no report of any loss of life and property til now.
Top ULFA leader Raja Bora is likely to be produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Dibrugarh as day after chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, military spokesman Raju Baruah were sent to jail. Bora, the security guard for Rajkhowa would be produced in connection with a case pending with Jaipur police station.
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