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.
The overall flood situation remains unchanged in Assam where one person was swept away in Majuli. The Brahmputra and its tributaries are flowing above the danger mark, affecting over five lakh people in ten districts. Flood waters arer wreacking havoc Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh districts, Jorhat in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam and Barpeta, Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa in lower Assam were submerged by the swollen rivers due to incessant rains in catchment areas. Almost the entire majuli island got flooded and a villager was swept away on Sunday. The situation in the districts of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa was grim with flood waters submerging nearly 50...
A Kamrup session court is all set to deliver its final ruling on the journalist Parag Kumar Das murder case on July 16 where CBI has earlier indicted several senior surrendered ULFA cadres. The court heard the case on Saturday and said the final ruling is expected on July 16.Notably, the veteran journalist was killed in Chandmari area in the city in the broad day light on May 17, 1996. The Central Bureau of Investigation, who probed the case filed the chargesheet in 2000. But the hearing began in 2003. The CBI has indicted four SULFA leaders including Mridul Phukan. Phukan was present on the court on Saturday.
Notorious drug mafia Samsul Haque Talukdar alias Pakhi Miyan was remanded to judicial custody on Saturday. Pakhi Miyan was remanded to CBI custody for five days in connection with the sensational murder of revenue intelligence officer Tarun Dutta in 2006. It may be noted that Pakhi Miyan was captured in West Bengal last month and was grilled by a special investigation unit of the Assam police in connection with a number of cases.
The North Cachar hills are still burning. Miscreants set on fire several Dimasa houses at Sabujoy basti village in the strife-hit district on Saturday. According to official sources, the incident took place in the remote tiny hamlet when some armed miscreants have sneaked in to the village and torched several houses belonging to the Dimasa tribe. No casualties have so far been reported. Notably, over 200 houses belonging to both Dimasas and Zeme Naga people have been torched in a fresh orgy of violence during the last one month.
In yet another ongoing offensive against NDFB, a hardcore rebel of the Bodo militant outfit was kiiled in Karbi Anglong district on Saturday. According to information, it was encounter where the rebel, later identified as Janata Boro was killed in Panjuri village under Dokmoka police station. A three-member group of the ultras exchanged fire with the Five Rajputana Rifles men in Panjuri area of Karbi Anglong district. One of the militants was killed, while the other two manage to flee. An Italian made 7.65 pistol with 14 rounds of ammunition was recovered from the slain extremist.
he Centre on Friday banned the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD)-Black Widow militant group operating in North Cachar hills district for the last couple for years. The decision to this eefect was taken at a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh.
DHD's chief Jewel Garlosa was arrested in Bangalore last month. This ban order comes in the wake of DHD's involvement in several violent incidents in North Cachar Hills district where the group targeted businessmen, railway properties besides government officials.
There is both tears and cheers for the north eastern region when railway minister Mamata Banerjee tabled the Rail Budget for 2009-2010. In her budget proposal, Banerjee announced that Guwahati station will have world class facilities along with 49 others across the station. Besides, Silchar station would be upgraded to a model station. Moreover, she announced 5 new trains for the seven sister states. One from Kamakhya to Puri superfast. This followed by Dibrugarh-Chandigrah express, Guwahati-Cochbeehar, Alipurduar- Guwahati and Dharmanagar-Agartala, Ranchi-Alipurduar-Guwahti apart from Guwahati-Dibrugarh. Moreover, the Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani Express frequency has been proposed to be...
Atleast 300 vilages with over 15,000 population are reeling under waters as the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level in Lakhimpur district. The situation took a grim turn on Wednesday as the mighy river breached he 100-metre stretch of the state-of-the art Matmora embankment which was constructed using the geo-fabric technology at a cost of Rs 140 crore in Dhakuwakhana. The worst hit areas include Dhakuakhana, Matmore, Kherkota, Dangdhara, Dimoruguri, Kekuri and Dholpeta gaon panchayats inundated by flood water foricng the authorities to sound a red alert in the Upper Assam district.
Notably, the Brahmaputra is overflowing following the incessent rainfall in the past 36 areas...
Violence in North Cachar hills distirct refuses to halt as 7 persons were killed in yet another strike by miscreants on Wednesday night even as the Centre is determined to stem violence in the north eastern region.
According to information, five persons including a teenagerswere killed and three others wounded as armed miscreants attacked a tiny Dimasa village under Mahur police station on Wednesday. Armed miscreants attacked the hamlet killing five people - four children and a woman - and injured three more. The militants opened indiscriminate fire on a group of people resulting in the grusome incident. The injured, a woman and two children, were admitted to a local hospital with...
The day-long media workshop for the northeastern journalists sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has come to a successful end on Tuesday (June 30) evening. Organized in support of Guwahati Press Club, the workshop provided space for discussion and interaction primarily on the issue of reporting in time of violence and understanding the context and its actors. The workshop was attended by nearly 40 journalists from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam and also from Bhutan.
Prior to the workshop held at Hotel Blue Moon in the city, the participants had undergone for a health check up programme initiated...
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