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.
29 May 2015 - 11:43am | AT News
Amid simmering protest for Indo-Bangla land swap deal Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi will accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dhaka slated for June 6.Modi will require Gogoi’s support to finalise...
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GUWAHATI: A special court in Guwahati on Wednesday sent six officers to 14 days police remand after they were arrested in connection with the APSC scam. Special judge before whom they were produced...
Bike Riders taking part in the "North East Moto Cross Challenge 2008" organized at the Assam Engineering Institute Field, Chandmari in Guwahati on 22-06-08. Pix by UB Photos.
A journalists meet at Guwahati Press Club today insists on providing space for the accused journalist Mukul Pathak, who was arrested by the CBI officials few days back (with the ex-Education minister of Assam, Ripun Borah accusing them to offer bribe to an investigative office), to clarify his stand at the earliest.Organized by Journalists' Action Committee, Assam and the NFNE, the meeting also emphasized on providing the basic minimum salary and facilities to the working journalists of the state. Various speakers at the meeting, which was presided over by Keshab Kalita, also expressed anger at the pitiful condition of the media persons, where 60% of them are compelled to work without the...
Peace broker Peoples’ Consultative Group member Hiranya Saikia was arrested on Saturday by Gorchuk police on Sunday charging with maintaining nexus with the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). According to information, acting on some specific inputs establishing ULFA link, Gorchuk police arrested the peace broker. Also, police managed to receive some inputs from the confessional statements of ULFA sergeant major Ashim Goala, who was apprehended recently. File photo: by UB Photos
Thousands of people are thronging atop the Nilachal hill to attend the grand Ambubachi, the name of an event that begins on Sunday at the historic Kamakhya temple premises.The temple belonging to the 16th century and the most important of the 51 Hindu `piths' in India, will be remaining closed for three days. Hundreds of sadhus, sants and sanyasins from across the country and abroad are arriving for the tantric 'Ambubasi Mela'.During the three days no religious rite will be performed in the temple with a beehive-shaped shikhara built by Koch dynasty king Chilarai in 1565, and priests and devotees will wear red clothes and offer garments of the same hue to Goddess Kamakhya.Religious belief...
Assam’s overall flood situation in its north district of Lakhimpur is improving but both the Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts are remaining cut-off on Sunday. More than eight lakh people are being rendered affected even as there was no rainfall in the catchment areas in Arunachal Pradesh.The affected people are taking shelter in highlands and on national highways even as the government ordered relief and rehabilitation measures on full swing. The first wave of flood have so far claimed 22 lives.Meanwhile the first meeting of the state disaster management authority chaired by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday sanctioned Rs 100 crore and Rs two crore each to the two worst affected...
A top leader of the United Liberation Front of Asom who was languishing in bail has been released on bail by a district court on Sunday. But minutes after he was taken away by some unidentified associates.According to information, the former self-styled commandant of ULFA's 28th battalion, was released on bail and the rebel leader stepped out of the prison cell in Dibrugarh in eastern Assam on Saturday evening.He was arrested from a hotel in Siliguri in West Bengal in May 2006 and was charged on 15 counts in cases ranging from murder to kidnapping and extortion. Earlier, he got bail in 14 other cases and a Tinsukia court Saturday granted his bail plea for the last case.The release has led...
A media workshop on 'how to report on judicial procedure/matter' has been organized at Guwahati Press Club on June 28, Saturday. The workshop will begin on 10 am. Two senior advocates of Gauhati High Court, Shantanu Bharali and Ujjal Bhuyan will attend the workshop as resource persons.Interested member-journalists are requested to register their names in the office of the press club by June 25.
Rice is the staple food for majority of the population in India. It contributes 65% of the total food grain production of the country. With the food crisis and inflation wreaking havoc to the most under-served communities in India, researchers are looking for methods of increasing the rice production. Also the growing population and changing food habits are further making it critical to up the rice yield. System of rice intensification (SRI) technology has immense potential of increasing the rice yield. This method of rice cultivation has become popular in many Indian states. However, still there are several states lacking with even the basic awareness of SRI technique. Needless to say...
The court of R K Jain in Delhi court on Saturday rejected the bail petitions of sacked education minister Ripun Bora and two of his associates and extended their judicial remand by July 5. Before that Bora, his aides Ramesh Maheswari and Mukul Pathak were produced before the court and after hearing the arguments, the court rejected their bail petitions. On the other hand, the Delhi High Court is also remaining closed to hear the petition challenging the lower court order. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Bora and Maheswari from Delhi and Pathak from Guwahati on June 3 charging with trying to bribe one of its official who is probing the sensation Denial Topno murder case. After...
In a daring high profile strike, a group of rebels have kidnapped former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang's youngest son Getam Apang on Wednesday night from Itanagar. The rebels have already talked to Getam's family members. The enitre incident was kept in dark and later it's spreading like wildfire in and around the capital town of the north eastern state. Police have been remaining clueless. According to information received from Itanagar, the militants stopped Getam Apang at Helangi Road in the capital town while he was riding on the car bearing No AR 01-9696 and forcibly took him away.
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