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 Chief Minister has appointed 86 primary school teachers in 12 disitrcts. The appointment letters were distributed at a function on Thursday at Dispur. In yet another decision, the government has decied to extend the retire period for 2 years to the recipients of the president award and one for the teachers who received the state award.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has offered to quit politics if the pro-talk ULFA rebels could show the evidence that they helped Congress come to power. Addressing a press conference in Dispur on Thursday, Gogoi said he and his party needed no help from ULFA and other terrorist outfits to come to the hot seat. Gogoi found it strange and said ULFA boycotted the elections but now they claimed thier help. "I would quit politics if they can prove what they claim," said the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister further said a Rs 2100 crore fiscal deficit awaits Assam due to the global melt down. But in the same breath, he denied any closure of job opportunities.
Government have considered and approved the request of the Assam Government for conversion of Institute of Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, presently under the Government of Assam, into an autonomous grants-in-aid institute of the Government of India, under the Department of Science and Technology. This would meet the hopes and aspirations of people of Assam and North Eastern Region.IASST would endeavour to spot local scientific talent and inspire them to attain national and global level of competence. This would lead to enrichment of the culture of scientific research and would have significant impact on the development of resources of the Assam and the Region...
A police officer was killed another gangman was injured when suspected DHD(J) rebels attacked a group of workers engaged on a railway tract at Langting in North Cachar hills district on Thursday.According to information, the incident took place at around 10-30 in the morning at the railway tracts at Langting at a distance of 100 kilometer from the Haflong police station.The deceased, who died on the spot has yet to be identified as police officer identified as some Baglary who was at work died on the spot while a gangman Anil Dey sustained injury. He has been rushed to the Lumding Hospital.
Two hardcore ULFA militants died during a heavy gunfight between ULDA and police and security forces in Majuli on Thursday morning.According to information, acting on a tip off that a team of ULFA rebels was hiding in the area, a joint police and CRPF team launched an operation in Balijan.Heavy exchange of firing came up as the joint team encountered ULFA militants. One of the slained ULFA rebels was suspected to be Bhaskar Hazarika. Police suspect these rebels came from the Myanmar-based camps through Nagaland.Later police recovered an AK-47 rifle aong with some other ammunition.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has announced exemption of entertainment tax on the movie in the state a day after India-based Slumdog Millionaire got the Oscars.The Chief Minister said the entire nation was proud of the award winning team and the government has responded to it by exempting tax to enable more and more people to watch the movie.He further congratulated the movie's team members and hailed the feat of sound recordists from the state Amrit Pritam who worked as a deputy to Resul Pookutty, the winner of the Oscar best sound mixing award for 'Slumdog Millionaire'.
Hardly a month after the elephant festival to counter the man-elephant conflcit, a villager was trampled to death by a wild elephant in the outskirts of the Kaziranga National Park on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Gopal Barua who trampled to death in his home at Hatikhuli village by the tusker which got separated from its herd and strayed out of the national park at Hatikhuli village. The forest department sources said the department is taking measures to drive the tusker back to the park.
The National Democratic Front of Bodoland is moving a petition at a special tribunal in Delhi on Wednesday with an appeal to withdraw a ban clamped by the government a few years back.According to information, the high level team led by its chairman Dhiren Boro, general secretary Govinda Basumatary along with several other top ranked leaders camping in the capital are set to appeal before the special tribunal led by Justice S N Agarwalla. The Bodo rebel outfit would be represented by Assam's senior advocate Nekibur Zaman who left for Delhi on Tuesday.Notably, the Union home ministry in a notification issued in November, 2008 asked NDFB to appear before the tribunal on February 25, 2009.
The menace of Stone-man in the city has revealed the overall inefficiency and discriminating attitude of the police & administration towards the victims to a greater extent. The criminal(s) has gone on killing spree in the virtual capital of Northeast India and till date he has targeted the prey more than 12 times in the last 50 days. At least seven homeless beggars died because of the attacks.Journalists’ Forum, Assam has organized a Citizen’s Meet to discuss the issue and adopt resolutions concerning the social security of the city in Guwahati Press Club on February 28 next. Every one is invited to participate in the meeting that will begin on 1 pm.
An uneasy situation is what brews at Doomdoma area in Hajo following the death of two persons at an accident. According to information, a section of local residents turned violent minutes after a car ran over two persons at around 9-30 in the morning on Tuesday. The deceased were Hiranya Sarma and his schoolboy Dhimanjyoti Sarma who were on thier way to the school. The driver of the car initially managed to escape from the spot.Policemen came to control the situation as the local residents were looking form the absconding driver. The irate mob damaged the police vehicle forcing the police to blank fire to disperse the mob. Later, the driver was caught and was severely assaulted leaving him...
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