Skip to content Skip to navigation

Anti dam protest greets Jairam Ramesh in Guwahati

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.


Comments

Hayang's picture

--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.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Smile Programme at Tezpur

5 Aug 2009 - 2:55am | Ranjan K Baruah
To sensitize young people on various social issues and developing social change maker in the long term, Students Mobilization Initiatives for Learning through Exposure (SMILE) under Indo Global...

Free medical camp for flood victims at Kamalpur

18 Dec 2008 - 6:06pm | Bikash Das
A free medical camp was today held at Borshil Girls LP School under Kamalpur revenue circle of Kamrup district for flood affected people of the area. The camp was personally organised by Dr. Akhtarul...

Cashew nut cartel!

14 Jul 2014 - 10:43am | AT News
After egg, betel leaf, fish and meat, now it’s the cartel of cashew nuts that makes the fruit more dearer for common people these days. Some sensational revelations have come out during the...

Encounter in Tinsukia: ULFA cadre killed

3 Jul 2011 - 6:42pm | editor
A hardcore ULFA militant was killed two others have been injured at an encounter with security forces in Tinsukia on Sunday. The incident took place at Kailashpur village under Pengeri police station...

Other Contents by Author

Union Power Minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday assured Assam of extra power to help the state tide over the black-out like situation. Reviewing the state’s power situation in Dispur, he told reporters that the Centre would provide all possible help to the state to improve power scenario. Moily discussed with Chief Minister the possibility of tapping power supply from neighbouring Bhutan.
Two hand grenades and as many detonators were recovered from the house of a former NDFB insurgent at a village in Baksa district of Assam. Acting on a tip-off, police and SSB launched a joint operation at Kotabari village, under Tamulpur police station, and recovered the explosives hidden under a haystack in the house of cadre Rakesh Bodo. During interrogation, Rakesh told the police that the Bodoland Peoples Front party's Darangajuli vice-president Sanatan Sarania had asked him to keep the explosives in his house. Both Rakesh and Sarania were arrested.
ULFA on Sunday came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi alleging that the Congress leader his verbal certificate to the immigrants in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts suggests a conspiracy to weed out the identity of the indigenous people. In a statement sent to media houses on Sunday, the outfit maintained that the indigenous people have knowledge of large-scale migration from the neighbouring country. According to ULFA, the government has gone ahead with describing the migrants as Indian which was indeed a matter of grave concern for the people.
ULFA’s anti-talk faction urges strongly backs agitation against illegal migrants to protect the interest of the indigenous people. In a statement e-mailed to media, the outfit’s chairman said that the state must be get rid of the immigrants to ensure that the overall interest of the indigenous people are allowed to remained secured.
The violence-hit people in BTAD areas ad Dhubri district are leaving the refugee camps even as the government steps up efforts to send them back to their homes. According to official sources, altogether 1,87,052 persons affected by the violence are still lodged in 206 camps even after nearly two months since trouble broke out in five districts. The refugees include 1,68,875 Muslims housed in 174 camps, 17,344 Bodos in 29 camps and 833 belonging to the other communities in three camps. Dhubri has the highest number of 1,01,373 inmates in 129 camps followed by Kokrajhar with 55,760 inmates in 43 camps, Chirang with 23,609 inmates in 22 camps, Bongaigaon with 5554 inmates in nine camps and...
Flood situation in four districts remains grim. The waterlevel of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries continues to maintain a rising trend following incessant rainfall in the catchment areas. Over three lakh population have been affected in the districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Kamrup by the third wave of floods to hit the state this year. In Dhemaji Chamaong, Gainadi, Jiadhol, Kumotia and Lali are flowing above the danger level affecting 340 villages. Ranganadi, Rangajan, Dihing, Kakpoi and Tingra rivers are also overflowing flooding 100 villages in Lakhimpur.
SERS Public School organised a career cum motivational talk at its school premises on 15th September. It was organized to sensitise students on various career options and also how to be successful in life. Ranjan K Baruah of North East Youth Foundation (NEYF) was the resource person on the occasion. Students were told on various career options apart from effective time management, importance of attitude, life skills and importance of communication skill and other soft skills. Apart from the students, Biren Sarma, Managing Director of SERS Public School also attended the programme. NEYF is a Guwahati based youth organisation working with young people for vibrant civil society.
A protest meeting at Guwahati Press Club today demanded strict punishment to the killer and conspirators of Raihanul Nayum, a young reporter of Gana Chabuk- published from Dhubri-who was assassinated on September 8 by a mob generated after an incident of theft in a Kali temple. Organized by Journalists’ Action Committee, the protest meeting also urged the government to pay a sum of Rs 10,00,000 as compensation to the family of Nayum. Attended by the Guwahati based journalists, the meeting also resolved to pursues for a special protection law for the journalists on duty. They also urged the editorial heads of the media outlets in Assam to issue proper appointment letters/ identity...
A special event on the saint Sankaradeva was organised at Delhi on September 13 as part of the 'Srimanta Sankardeva Movement, Delhi Initiative, 2012' by the Assam Association of Delhi in association with Trend MMS in Delhi. The event was attended by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, HRD minister Kapil Sibal, and union DoNER minister Paban Singh Ghatowar. Noted actress Shabana Azmi, Former Assam Governot Lt. Gen. S K Sinha were among the participants. Noted actor Victor Banerjee was speaking as the brand ambassador of the initiative. Sanjib Sabhapandit's short documentary on the saint Sankaradeva was appreciated by the audience at Kamani Auditorium. The dance-dram Chor Dhara Jhumura was a...
KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi attended a huge rally organized by AJYCP on Saturday in Guwahati to show his solidarity with AJYCP. Talking to assamtimes, he said that KMSS stand was clear---to solve the issue of influx in a democratic manner. He said that the was no people conflict and we need a peaceful resolution. All district-level units of AJYCP joined the rally besides KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi and Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti. The protesters formed a human chain to highlight their concern and to pitch for their demand. The rally was organized under the banner of Sargahiti Srinkhal Samabesh.