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.
Police have apprehended two car lifters in the city's Udalbakra area during an operation on Monday. During the interrogation, both the lifters are reportedly making some startling revelations than could help the police bust the racket. The lifters apprehended are namely Amar Das and Zakir Hussain.
Police have arrested three hardcore NDFB caders and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunitions during an operation in the city's Beltola area on Monday. According to information, acting on a tip off, conducted a raid in the area in Beltola and arrested three Bodo rebels namely Mark Narzary, Ajit Bodo, Binod Basumatary. Police further recovered three pen pistols, five 5.56 pistols, 2 M-20 pistol, 13 magazines with six rounds of ammunitions from their possession. Later these rebels have been handed over to the Police station for more investigation. It is for the first time police recovered pen pistol in the city.
Assam’s powerful student body All Assam Students Union has demanded Assam Accord implementation minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman’s resignation for his failure to keep his words in terms of the sealing of the porous Indo-Bangla border. Addressing a press conference on Monday, AASU leaders alleged that even after 22 years of signing of Assam Accord, the government has yet to implemented all the clauses of the Assam Accord..They said as per the tripartite meet held in 2005, the Centre had promised the AASU to seal the Bangladesh border within March, 2007 but the government has gone back to its words till March 31, 2008.The student leaders further announced a series of agitational...
One person was killed and another seriously injured by a wild elephant near Kaziranga National Park,official sources said to assamtimes.Buda Ganju, a resident of Dagaon which was seriously injured,said that the elephant tore down a treehouse where Tulsi Gogoi,the person was killed was sitting and trampled him to death after he fell from the tree.Buda Ganju, is undergoing treatment at the Golaghat civil hospital.The park authorities have paid Rs 5,000 ex gratia to Gogoi's next of kin. The authorities are also bearing the cost of Ganju's medical expenses.Bokakhat legislator MLA Jiten Gogoi said it was a common practice for the villagers residing near the park to perch on trees at night to...
Four people of a same family died in Sivasagar district when they consumed mushroom on Saturday. According to information, the incident took place at Jiamari Palengi gaon in Demow near Rajmai. They fell ill on Thursday last as soon as they consumed mushroom with brinjal, beans and potato with rice. They were rushed to hospital. On Saturday four people of the same family died at the hospital. They were Manik Gogoi, Hunmai Gogoi, Monju Gogoi and Sunmai Gogoi. Two more members of the family are struggling for life at hospital.In yet another incident of mushroom consumption, seven people are falling ill in Thaoradal near Rajmai in the same district. These people are Satrughna Majhi, Sanma...
Peace broker and MASS leader Lachit Bordoloi has been arrested under the National Security Act on Sunday accusing him of link with ULFA. Mr Bordoloi was detained in Moran in February following a set of confessional statements by ULFA cadre Manoj Tamuly. Later he was taken away by Nagaon, Rangia and Nalbari police in connection with a number of cases registered against him. According to what police have claimed a number of e-mails to ULFA sent from Bordoloi's laptop suggest his link with the terrorist outfit.
Five people died three others have been injured at a tragic accident at Dibrugarh district's Kutuha area on Sunday morning.According to information, the accident took place in Kutuha near Barbaruah when a Maturi Van bearing No AS506-F-3086 carrying eight people on its way to Moranhat had a head on collision with a Dibrugarh bound bus No AS-01 Q 2225.These five people died on the spot.The two injured people have been rushed to the Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh.The people left dead are Jesmine Begum, Priyara Khatun, Jahanara Begum, Julu begum and the driver Washim Hasan.
A two hour long powerful storm on Saturday midnight has left lakhs of houses ravaged in central and upper Assam district. According to information, a women died in Roha in Nagaon district when her house collapsed in the storm. Another woman also died in a similar incidents in Mangaldoi. Besides, lakhs of thousands in upper Assam district of Tinsukia, Dubrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Nagaon and Morigaon damaged by the strom that was shaking the state for nearly an hour. School building and some business establishments were also ravaged in the storm. The extent of losses and damages have yet ot be confirmed. The uprooted trees on the National Highways forced the buses, trucks and other...
Hundreds of teachers working with the of the state's non provincialised schools will block the National Highway and railway April 2 saying the government has yet to respond to their agitation.Addressing a press conference on Friday in the city, the united body of the teachers of these schools said altogether 16,153 non provincialised schools have been striking for government steps to provincialsation.They said the decision to this effect had been taken after the failure of the Thursday's Assembly gherao where many teachers were prevented from arriving Dispur. That's why they are going to block the National Highway and railway.
Former Assam Chief Minister Prafula Kumar Mahanta is unhappy with the state's rice production which he says is taking a downward trend.Addressing a press conference on Friday, the former Chief Minister said the state government has been failing to properly utilise the fund meant for the agriculture sector which will have an adverse impact on the state's rural economic scenario.If it so happens, said Mahanta, the state will no longer be able to feed the growing population. He is worried that the state attained self sufficiency in food grain production a few years back but now once again taking a backseat.He cited the official documents to justify that Assam's rice production figure was 39....
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