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.
A suspected ULFA activist was killed at an encounter with police on Friday in Guwahati. The incident took place early in the morning which was followed by another shoot out at Chandmari in the city. Two NDFB rebels were killed at an encounter with security forces in Chirang district of lower Assam on Friday. The incident took place at Mauja basti where 2 pistol,3 grenades were recovered along with some incriminating documents. In yet another incident, one person was killed while suspected Naga insurgents attacked a village defence party in North Cachar hills on Friday. The incident took place in the wee hours at Devi Nagar as a group Naga insurgents were on an extortion drive. , A school...
The students of the Eastern Fare Music Foundation, Bangalore demonstrated remarkable expertise in the recently conducted Trinity Guildhall Exam at Good Shepherd Institute. Congratulations to Shreya Krishnaswami(98%), Nimisha Krishnaswami(97%), Aryan Shetty(93%), V. Deepa(92%) and Anand P.M.(96%) for their outstanding performances. Shreya Krishnaswami topped all the entrants from Bangalore with a scorecard of 98%. Heariest congratulations to her for such a significant achievement at such an early age. The students will be receiving their credentials from Trinity College London and will be performing in St. Mark’s Hall, Bangalore on 28th Nov, 09’ to mark the emergence of such a...
The eminent BBC journalist Sir Mark Tully has released a book titled ‘Troubled Periphery: Crisis of India’s North East’, which has been authored by the senior BBC journalist Subir Bhaumik and published by Sage, today in Kolkata.
Inaugurating the book, Padma Bhusan Mark Tully commented that the Indians in general should go through the book to know more about the troubled northeastern part of India, and the Northeasterns themselves should study it to understand their problems in a better way.
The inauguration ceremony witnessed the attendance of many distinguished personalities like Tripura Rajmata Bibhu Devi, former British minister Ian Macartney, US consulate-general...
The Assam Press Correspondents’ Union has demanded an empowered Media Council of India, which can look after various issues of media persons effectively in the country. The media persons’ organization has asserted that the Press Council of India has slowly lost its relevance as it has no role to play on ensuring financial security to the working journalists. The APCU also raised its voice for a regional office of the media council in Guwahati. The demands were highlighted during a meeting organized on the occasion of the National Press Day.
Organized by the Assam Press Correspondents’ Union at Guwahati Press Club, the significant Day was celebrated with various programes...
A Guwahati based young reporter dies of heat stroke today. Khanin Das, who worked for Dainik Batori, felt a kind of chest pain during a meeting in the city and soon he collapsed. Khanin, 36, was immediately taken to GNRC Hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.
Hails from Pathshala in Barpeta district, Khanin started his journalism career as a city reporter to Amar Asom and later he shifted to Edinor Sangbad.
The city scribes paid last tributes to Khanin at Guwahati Press Club and his office (Dainik Batori) before his dead body was taken to his home town Pathshala for cremation.
Khanin, who was also a promising sculptor, left behind his wife and a son.
On the occasion of World Diabetes Day on 14 Nov ’09, the Department of Endocrinology, Gauhati Medical College organized Health Awareness Programmes at the Endocrinology OPD today from 9-30 AM onwards. The aim of celebrating this day is to create awareness among people about diabetes. The theme of this day this year is “Prevention of Diabetes”. With this theme stress was laid on importance of diet and exercise in the prevention of diabetes and its complications. Childhood diabetes prevention by avoiding obesity was also discussed.
Pharmaceutical companies conducted Free blood Glucose test on 150 patients out of which 6 (Six ) new diabetics were detected (4%). All...
Two ULFA topguns Chitraban Hazarika and Sasha Hazarika have been remanded to ten days police custody after they were produced before the court of Kamrup Chief Judicial magistrate on Saturday. The court further has asked the authorities to ensure medical test of the top leaders within a periof of 48 hours. Talking to the waiting mediaman Chitraban Hazarika and Sasha Chaudhury said they have not surrendered nefore BSF as it was reported in a section of media. Notably, amid a tight security bandubast, the foreign secretary and finance secretary were brougth to Guwahati by a team of Assam police on Friday night. Police interrogation is in progress.
Assam police gets remand of Chitraban Hazarika and Sasha Chaudhury even as the the banned insurgent outfit on Sarturday calls for 12 hour Assam bandh demanding their unconditional release. In a statement, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa demanded that both the leaders must be produced before media to avoid missing like that in Bhutan.
According to Rajkhowa, the finance secretary and the acting general secretary were picked up on November 1 by a group of unidentified people at 12 midnight and since then they have been remaining untraced.
Three days after they were picked up in Bangladesh, top ULFA leaders Chitraban Hazarika and Sasha Chaudhury have been handed over to Assam police after a series of formalities both in Delhi and Dhaka. The ULFA top guns who were detained at Gakulnagar area across Indo-Bangla border in Tripura were handed over to the BSF before being whisked away to Silchar en ropute to New Delhi. Later they were taken back to Guwahati for more formalities.
Meanwhile, the family members of both the topguns are eagerly waiting to see them since they have been been able to see them for the last many years. According to sources, the entire sudden development is stage managed as ULFA is rapidly losing its...
An Assamese crusader against racisism in South Korea, Banajit Hussain will interact with the members of Guwahati Press Club on November 9, Monday at 1 pm. The research professor at SungKongHoe University, Seoul succeeded in raising voices against the racial attitude of a Korean towards the Asian migrant-students in South Korea very recently. Banajit Hussain, who hails from Guwahati, will describe his experience in details in front of the media persons during the programme.
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