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 stunned Assam Government is trying to call the string of violence in Udalguri an ethnic cleansing by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) currently in ceasefire with the government.According to the government sources,its not due to clashes between the Bodos militants and immigrant Bangladeshis, but a systematic ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the NDFB to clear the BTAD areas of the non-Bodos people. The government has already arrested four NDFB cadres on Sunday with weapons saying they were involved in killing a woman and a child in Baksa district. On the other hand, BTAD chief Hagrama Mohilary, who is the coalition partner of the Gogoi government has already smelt role of the...
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogai says the government could reconsider the ceasefire with NDFB if the allegations of masterminding the communal flare up in lower Assam’s Darrang and Udalguri districts and lower Assam.Addressing the media people on Sunday, Gogoi claimed that the situation is under control and has improved a lot. "We have reports that a section of NDFB cadres could be behind the ongoing violence and have directed the authorities to inquire into their possible involvement and if it is proved true, we will go to the extent of getting the ceasefire agreement cancelled," said Gogoi.He said NDFB cadres should be in their designated camps as per the ceasefire agreement...
Udalguri and Darrang districts are still burning on Monday. Its spreading to make the situation more volatile. Three persons died, several others have been injured when police resorted to firing to disperse an irate mob when they were setting on fire three more villages in Bhakatpara area in Udalguri district on Sunday.In yet another sporadic incident of violence on Sunday, two people died, two others have been missing in Naharbari and Murkota villages in Majbat when the miscreants set some houses ablaze. Five more persons were hacked to death at Dimakuchi market by some other miscreants at around 12 noon on Sunday. With this, the toll has gone up to 36.Seven more people have been...
An all party delegation led by Opposition leader Chandra Mohan Patowary is visiting the riot hit areas of Udalguri and Darrang districts on Monday.Assam health and family welfare minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, his colleagues Gautom Bora, Nazrul Islam along with former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AASU general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi AAMSU president Mujamil Haque, state BJP president Ramen Deka, AUDF president Badaruddin Ajmal, ABSU president Ranagaura Narzari, NESO chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya AASU president Sankar Prasad Ray, have visited the violence-hit areas and the affected people in the camps.On the other hand, ABSU, Lions Club, Christian Coordination...
BTAD chief Hagrama Mohilary alleges involvement of third force in the communal flare-up in Udalguri and Darrang district of lower Assam. Talking to a private news channel, Mohilary said the authorities compensate Rs 1 lakh ex–gratia amount each to the families of those killed in the communal flare-up. He further said those rendered homeless would be rehabilitated. Mohilary has confirmed that the authorities will ensure relief materials for the affected people in the camps.Citing the use of arms and ammunition, Mohilary said the involvement of rebel groups like NDFB backed by Bodo peace forum cannot be denied.
In yet another development, media persons who are covering the communal riot in Rowta and its adjacent areas saw a Pakistani flag in Sonaripara and Mohanpur village and took photographs of them.Local television channels also ran footage of the flags. But officials and security forces denied any knowledge of the presence of the flags.Once again there is report of police firing in Udalguri distirct to disperse an irrate mob which has left several others injured on Sunday.
The communal flare up in Rowta that has taken a toll of more than 35, over 150 injured, is spanning out of control as the miscreants are setting hundreds of houses on fire on Sunday.Despite clamping of curfew and army's flag march, more and more areas of Udalguri and its neighbouring Darrang districts, are burning rendering over 60,000 people homeless. At least seven more bodies have been found in the violence hit areas on Sunday morning.Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has rushed four ministers to take stock of the situation and himself is assessing the situation with top ranked police and civil officials.Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister has blamed it all on the district...
The National Democratic Front of Bodoland is stick to the demand for a separate Bodoland if general secretary of the Bodo outfit Govinda Basumatary is to be believed.Talking to a private TV news channel, the Bodo militant outfit said its as simple as that they will not drop the demand and also carry forward the peace process with the Centre. Basumatary said the they have not made this announcement while they were holding talks with the Centre on September 30 and that it was the Centre which stressed the need to expedite the peace process.Basumatary said he was aware of the reports in a section of media that NDFB has dropped the sovereignty question and was quick to term it a conspiracy. He...
The minister of culture of Assam, Bharat Chandra Narah inaugurated a book titled "Asomar Loka-Sankritir Ruprekha (An insight into the folk culture of Assam)" at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati on October 3 which written by eminent personality Umesh Chetia.Photo: Buljit Buragohain
Three ULFA cadres have been killed in an encounter with army in Tihu in Nalbari district on Friday night. According to information, the incident took place at Khetrapara Ghairajan under Tinhu police station when army’s Kumaon regiment with the help of police launched an operation in the area resulting in the heavy exchange of firing. Three ULFA cadres died on the spot and they have yet to be identified.Later police found a carbine, six rounds of bullets, one 9 mm pistol with five rounds of cartidge, a grenade, six detonators and some gunpowder from the spot. Investigation is on.
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