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 Apr 2008 - 11:15pm | editor
All Assam Student Union (AASSU) Guwahati took out a protest rally along with the effigy of Forest Minister of Assam Rockybul Hussain protesting against the killing of five Rhinoes within a week and...
1 Feb 2012 - 1:47pm | Ritupallab Saikia
A curse has befallen on the poor family of Matlib Hussain and Boby Begum of Athkhelia’s Chokial village in Golaghat district since they had discovered that their son is afflicted with the...
7 Oct 2008 - 3:19pm | editor
Tension is still simmering in five districts of lower Assam even as the Centre has dispatched 1,400 para-military force personnel to contain the situation where more than 60 people were killed in...
19 Apr 2022 - 8:44pm | Mithun Baruah
On Tuesday, the Samanmay Social Welfare Youth Organisation, Margherita Committee organised a One Day Rongali Bihu celebration and felicitation programme at Margherita India Club.
Lakhikanta Borah...
One person was killed and two others injured at a powerful bomb explosion at Alipurduar along the Assam-West Bengal border on Monday. It was an IED which was planted at a bicycle that exploded near a MVI Checkgate at Barebisa in Jalpaiguri district. The deceased was Gobin Sarma, a driver of the Bhutan bound vehicle from Assam. The two injured people are Sudam Barman and Suresh Shah. They have been rushed to the Alipurduar Civil Hospital. No militant outfit has so far owned up the responsibility.
Guwahati Press Club (GPC) will felicitate four journalist-fellows, who have been selected to study the issues of medicinal plants and mobile theatre groups of Assam, tomorrow (May 12) at 2 pm in a specially organized meeting. The two-month long fellowship, run with the financial support from DS Group, has been designed to study both the issues in details and report accordingly. The study program will include the usefulness and market potentiality of medicinal plants available in Assam. Moreover, the economy of mobile theatres of the state, the prospect of entertainment tax collection and a welfare scheme for the artists and technicians (with other) of those groups will be studied and...
Two dreaded ULFA militants died at an encounter with army in Baksa district last night. According to information, the encounter took place last night at Salbai village where two top ranked ULFA cadres left to death. They have been identified as sergeant Baba Rabha and Bhabesh Baishya. Later, a 9 mm pistil, a M-20 pistol and ten rounds of ammunitions have been recovered from their possession. Details are awaited. Another women ULFA cadres was also arrested from the district on Sunday.
Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Dr Amarjyoti Chaudhury’s resignation citing government indifference to the lack of fund to run the varsity has sent shockwaves across the state but the final decision is expected on May 14 as the chancellor and Assam Governor is set to return to Guwahati. On the other hand, caught in a vicious situation following the Vice Chancellor’s resignation, the Gauhati University students are in a confused a lot and have urged Dr Amarjyoti Chaudhury to withdraw the resignation in view of the upcoming examinations.Speaking to Assam Times, the University students said they will request the Vice Chancellor to give a second thought for the betterment of the...
In yet another strike in the trouble torn North Cachar hills district, 8 people were killed by suspected DHD(J) militants at Faiding under Mahur police station in retaliation of Saturday’s joint operation at their camp at Heralu where they claimed to have lost 12 cadres. But Army has not yet recovered even a single body.All these eight people killed at Faiding were workers engaged at the Broad Gauge conversion work in the hill district. However, the militant outfit has yet to own up the responsibility.Menawhile, silence is prevailing in the hills district a day after a fierce fighting. But the entire incident is mired in mystery as only four bodies have so far been recovered and yet...
Barely 24 hours after the fierce gun battle of Army with DHD(J) militant camp at Heralu in North Cachar hills district, altogether seven people have been killed on Sunday while they were working with the railway broad gauge construction project at Phaiding in the same hills district. Details are awaited.Notably, 12 DHD(J) cadres were killed during a joint operation at their camp on Saturday. Hours after the incident, the DHD(J) cadres who announced unilateral ceasefire with the government, threatened to stymie the central and state government projects in both the hills districts. The militant outfit has alleged that their cadres were killed despite the unilateral ceasefire was in force and...
Designers Diapnkar Kashyap, Prashanta Ghosh along with other dignitaries has been seen with the two contestants (3rd and 4th from the left) out of the five contestants from the NE region in the North East Preliminary Round of the Dabur Gulabari Sananda-Tillottma 2007 held in Guwahati on 10-05-08 night. Pix by UB Photos.
There is a flutter at the Gauhati University campus as its Vice Chancellor Dr Amarjyoti Chaudhory has resigned citing his failures to uplift the varsity due to lack of cooperation from the Assam Government. According to information,Dr Chaudhory has tender his resignation on Saturday afternoon. Details are awaited. Notably, Dr Chaudhory withdrew resignation last year after the government assured him of help to uplift it. Accordingly, the Government released released a huge Rs 1 crorer fund in December, 2007. But the sudden and unwanted resignation has shocked the entire academic fraternity.
Minoti Khaund: The evergreen violinist of 70's musical world of Assam, she is undoubtedly one of the most popular violinist today and can equally be placed among the best. With her disarming smile and charming manner, the bespectacled Minoti Khaund exudes a comfortable air: music, she says takes her closet to divinity and accords her peace and tranquility. It is an invigorating experience which exalts her spirits. Born in a well to do Phukan paribar of Jorhat. Her father Manik Chandra Phukan and mother Nalini Debi. She was raised in a culturally rich atmosphere. Her maternal grandfather: Bisheswar Sharma, well-known Tea planter and a culturally gharana of Jorhat. Being a...
Altogether 12 Dima Halam Daogah(Jwel) cadres died and many others injured when an Army and police jointly launched a major offensive at a camp in Herelu in North Cachar Hills district along the Assam-Maipur border on Saturday. According to information, the joint operation busted the camp having a 28-member group of the dread militants who also exchanged fire firing during the operation. 3Eleven bodies had been recovered so far from the site while all the injured cadres have managed to flee from the camp. But quoting DHD (J) publicity secretary Faifrang Dimasa, sources say 12 of their cadres have been killed during the fierce fighting. Top ranked police and other security forces are there at...
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