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.
Assam Congress leader and health minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma says the main Opposition AGP virtually surrendered before BJP when both the parties struck seat sharing deal in Delhi. Addressing a press conference at the Rajiv Bhawan on Saturday, Dr Sarma said with this Assam witnessed the beginning of an end to the regional politics in the state. Dr Sarma said the AGP votes will not go to the BJP and in a lighter vain he said these votes will go to Congress instead. A confident Dr Sarma said Congress is sure of stealing the march in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The Opposition Asom Gana Parishad is holding its crucial steering committee meeting on Saturday to finetune the list of the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to information, the leaders will finalise the candidates for 3 seats while three others have been finalised earlier.Besides, the meeting is expected to discuss the pre poll alliance with BJP where they handed over 8 prestigious seats to the BJP. The party is expected to announce the list of the candidates on Sunday.
The Assam Assembly has cleared a Rs 1,85,056 crore interim budget for April to July 2009 after it was tabled in the House by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who is holding the finance portfolio on Satrurday. Gogoi presented the Vote-on-Accounts in the brief one-day budget session as the government could not lay the full budget for 2009-10 with the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections slated from April 16. In the one day session, the House further passed the Appropriation Bill relating to the interim budget by voice vote.Gogoi said his government was giving wide publicity in the newspapers of the schemes to make the people aware of these. According to him, the people should know all...
The United Liberation Front of Asom says Indian citizenship has nothing to do those struggling for an independent Assam.In its mouthpiece Freedom, the banned insurgent outfit has made it plain that they left Indian citizenship right from the day they floated the outfit aiming at an independent Assam to make an end to the colonial rule with an era of exploitation. The clarification has come up a week after Assam Public Works, an NGO demanded cancellation of Indian citizenship for ULFA chief Paresh Baruah if he fails to come forward for talks before the upcoming Rongali Bihu.
The Asom United Democratic Front, NCP, CPI, CPM leaders are holding a crucial meeting in the city of Guwahati on Saturday to finalise the seat sharing deal for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll in Assam slated for April 16 and 23. The third front constituents earlier this month decided to strike the deal seeking a non Congress and non BJP government. Notably, the move for a third front came up as AGP started its confabulations with BJP. Several rounds of talks held earlier failed to hammer out a set of clear cut strategies but these parties have finalised thier seats and candidates.
Altogether four persons were killed as suspected DHD(J) militants shot dead the parents of two of thier former colleagues in North Cachar hills district on Friday morning.According to information, a few miscreants entered into the house of Men Dimasa at Tidik under Maibong police station bordering Arunachal Pradesh border. He was their former colleague who left the outfit a few months back. The miscreants gunned down his parents and left the spot.In yet another incident at at Jamadisha some other miscreants shot dead the parents of Gale Dimasa. They left the spot immediately after leaveging them spot dead. Gala has been left the outfit several months ago.Police rushed to the spot and...
Hours after BJP called Asom Gana Parishad an NDA partner, the regional party has made it plain that the deal is confined to seat sharing only. This the entire poll deal mires into yet another controversy.Addressing a crowded joint press conference in New Delhi BJP president Rajnath Singh said they have not been able to convert the polity into a two-party system but have ended the single party rule of four decades. That too in full view of AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani, and NDA chairman Sharad Yadav. He further said AGP's joining the NDA would go a long way in stopping further fragmentation of the polity.But hours after it AG president...
There is report of fierce gunbattle between ULFA and police in Sivasagar district where an ULFA rebel is feared dead. According to information, the encounter is taking place at Balijan area under Charaideo sub division in Sivasagar distirct. Details are awaited.
Guwahati Press Club with the support from ERD Foundation, Guwahati has declared a short term fellowship programme to study various aspects of pavement dwellers (primarily beggars) of the city. The one and half month long fellowship is expected to provide space for the journalist to go for an in-depth study (and report) about the issue. The fellow will try to analyze the reason behind their homelessness, categorization and also the security aspect of the homeless persons in Guwahati.The selected fellow will be offered Rs 15,000 as remuneration. At the end of the fellowship, (s)he has to submit a comprehensive report (of not less than 5000 words) on the issue (preferably in English ) to the...
A suspected ILFA cadre and a civilian died in two separate incidents of firing at the Bhoiratoli village under Hajo police station on Wednesday night.According to information, two suspected ULFA militants shot dead a farmer at around 8 in the evening forcing police and army to launch a masive manhunt. Police and army personnel raided the village and it resulted in an encounter where the suspected ULFA rebel died. A nine M M pistol has been recovered from him. The manhunt for the second culprit is on.
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