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.
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Bangladesh is all set to honour music maestro Dr Bhupen Hazarika and former Chief Minister late Sarat Chandra Singha at a function in Dhaka on March 27.
The duo are among the three other figures...
Security forces claimed to have killed a hardcore ULFA man during an encounter in Goalpara district on Monday. The encounter took place at Krishnai bordering Meghalaya in the wee hours when police launched an operation against the ULFA men who have been hiding in the area. Identified as Ruhit Rabha, the ULFA militant died on the spot while four others managed to flee from the spot. Later, police recovered some arms and ammunition from the spot. Operation is on to trace the four other militants.
The stage is set. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri on Tuesday. The AICC general secretary is likely to be accompanied by Digvijay Singh. Taling to assamtimes, APCC officials informed that Gandhi will visit some of the areas of the Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Chirang on Tuesday to take stock of the relief and rehabilitation measuresadopted by the state government for the violence hit people in the three districts.
A beefed up security scenario on Saturday failed to avert a powerful grenade explosion in Guwahati where a CRPF jawan lost his life and at least ten others, mostly CRPF jawans injured in Platanbazar. The deceased CRPF jawans was identified as Bhawani Singh who succumbed to injuries on the way to the GMCH. The injured have been rushed to the GMCH for treatment. They have been identified as Rajnil Gandhi, Bori Tanti, Ashok Khandakar, Babu Das, Dilip Kumar Sarma, Demsa Devi, Saheda Begum, Manoj Kumar, Upar Singh, Rinki Sarma, Umanath Sahani.
Trouble brews for a cabinet minister a few days after the prime accused of a sensation massacre was found dead. Seven local organizations on Saturday asked Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to drop cabinet minister Akon Bora who, they alleged, was involved in the massacre in Jugdal two years back. Talking to reporters these local organizations alleged that the prime accused Arjun Bordoloi was killed by Bora only to destroy the evidence of his involvement in the Jugdal case.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit the trouble hit Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts on Tuesday. According to APCC, Gandhi would be accompanied by Digvijay Singh. Gandhi will visit some of the areas of the Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Chirang on Tuesday to take stock of the relief and rehabilitation measures.
Despite round-the-clock-vigil, miscreants time and again have been targeting Guwahati in the form of bomb explosion. A CRPF jawans was killed and nine others have been injured when suspected ULFA militants exploded a powerful grenade in the city on Saturday. The explosion took place at around 7-45 in the evening with a sound near the Paltanbazar police station where at least people, mostly CRPF jawans injured. One of them succumbed to his injuries on the way to GMCH.
The third special train to Bangalore is likely to leave Guwahati on Sep 20 to facilitate the return of those who had fled Bangalore and some other south Indian cities last month after rumours of attacks on people from the northeast. The state government will pay the cost of train tickets for those who are willing to return. According to the Northeast Frontier Railway, the notification is expected in a day or two.
The Assam government had also directed the Transport Secretary to issue instructions to all the Deputy Commissioners in the state to register the details of the people who inquire about the special train Sep 20 through the helpline created by the state government.
The second Bangalore bound special train will leave Guwahati on Saturday. The train is expected to carry over 1000 north east people back to the southern city who arrived in Guwahati fearing attack. Passengers can board the train only from Guwahati, Kamakhya, Rangia, New Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar railway stations. The passengers, who board the Bangalore special Saturday, will also get their tickets reimbursed.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Dibrugarh districts on an all out war against Bangladeshi immigrants on Friday. Over 30 local organizations in Moran, Amguri and Golaghat took out huge processions demanding steps to detect and deport the immigrants. Amid the simmering protest, several suspected Bangladeshi immigrants were held in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Dibrugarh districts who were detained by police.
The entire state erupts in an all out drive against Bangladeshi immigrants after the influx awareness drive. Local residents in Sivasagar district have apprehended five suspected immigrants and handed them over to police on Friday. They were held at Namtola near Sonari in the wee hours and later were handed over to police. Local residents have claimed that they had no convincing evidence.Earliar on Thursday evening local residents in Seleng near Moriani in Jorhat district held to immigrants while 5 others managed to escape.
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