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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Wild tuskers and female elephants are creating terror among the public in the border areas of Gelekey, Sivasagar district. These wild elephants destroy the premises and store-houses of the people of...
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Three documentary films, including the Oscar winning Smile Pinki, were screened today at 6:30pm in an Evening Film Show organized by cultural sub committee of Assam Cultural Trust at ITA complex,...
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BJP national president Amit Shah has eyed to form next government at Dispur with the help of Bodoland Peoples Front(BPF) to make change the face of BTAD areas of Assam state both party have been...
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The campaigning for the Tiwa Autonomous Council polls slated for Wednesday is set to end on Monday evening. The campaign will close at 5 in the afternoon. Led by TAC CEM Rama Kanta Deori, the...
An uneasy situation is what prevails in Nazira sub division along the Assam Nagaland border following as firing incident by the Naga militants at some Assam police vehicles on Wednesday. According to information, the Naga militants started indiscriminate firing at the police vehicles on their way back after visiting No 2 Waxing area nearing the upper Namsai. A police team from Simaluguri and Bihubar stations was returning from the area. The police has input that the Naga people have illegally set up polling booth on the soil of Assam. But during their visit the police team failed to spot it as the polling was over. No one was injured in the firing.
Atleast four people have been injured when suspected ULFA militants exploded a powerful bomb at around 7-30 in the evening in Lakhimpur town. According to information, the blast took place in front of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner. The injured people namely Nurani Khan, Sunu Rahman, K K Handique, Tarifur Rahman Barbhuyan have been rushed to the hospital. The blast made a kind of flutter in the town despite a beefed up security. Investigation is going on.
The Assam Government came in for sharp criticism on the floor of the House on Wednesday when the Opposition parties slammed it on the implementation of the much –hyped NREGA. Assam rural development minister Chandan Brahma was cornered on the floor while the opposition riddled him with many questions. The Opposition parties further criticized the Government for its failure on the law and order front while the House discussed the Governor's address. The Opposition parties lashed out at Assam Government for the state's deteriorating law and order situation while the House discussed the Governor's address which claimed that the state's law and order situation has considerably improved....
The Bengal team has the last laugh in the East Zone Ranji clash when the rain played spoilsport in the final one dayer with Jharkhand who won the runners up on Wednesday. Caught in the rain that lashed then city from early in the morning, the organizers stopped the match and announced Bengal as the champion while giving the runners up to the Jharkhand team. The Bengal team reached the final after initially defeating the host team Assam and then Tripura and Orissa. Jharkhand team also managed to face the Bengal team in the final one dayer after defeating Assam.
Hundreds of tea garden labourers staged dharna in Dispur Last Gate on Wednesday demanding immediate implementation of the Tea Plantation Act and the Minimum Wage Act. Speaking to assamtimes, the protestors here said over the years they have been receiving assurance from the government and nothing else. The Tea Plantation Act has not been implemented. Even the Minimum Daily Wage Act has yet to be implemented, they said adding that the Rs 84 minimum wage per day fixed last year has not been implemented so far. Besides, they alleged that they have been lacking adequate facilities for education, drinking water and sanitation. They blamed the government for continuing woes saying the Government...
A good number of Koch Rajbanshi people representing the various bodies of the communities are staging a 72 hour long demonstration from Wednesday in front of the Jantarmantar, New Delhi demanding a separate Kamatapur state. Led by the All Koch Rajbanshi Students Union President Atul Rai and general secretary Bireswar Saikia, the strike will continue for 72 hours. They are stick to the stand saying they will not halt it if the Government fails further. They alleged that before the election, the ruling clique promised everything but forget as soon as they come to power.
Insurgent activists are camping in some parts of the city to run the extortion drive. The Paltanbazar police have apprehended two ULFA cadres on Tuesday night near Lachitnagar while they were on the way to collect cash from one Agarwalla in the area. They have been identified as Prahlad Saikia and Bipul Kalita.According to police sources, NDFB activists have also bash in the city for the purpose. The arrest of Bhimsing, an activist of the Bodo insurgent outfit in Rupnagar is an example. Bhimsing’s confessional statement has provided the police a lot of inputs to bust the base of a section of NDFB rebels. Acting on these statements, police conducted a raid at a rented house in...
One people died and two others have been injured while the suspected ULFA activists exploded a powerful bomb in Sivasagar town area on Tuesday afternoon. According to information, the incident took place besides the Dikhow Bridge in Amgurighat. It is suspected that the bomb exploded while a sixteen year old was carrying it who was killed in the blast. The two injured people have been rushed to the hospital. High level police and civil officials who arrives on the spot minutes after the explosion have instructed the police to go for an immediate investigation into the incident to apprehend the culprits involved in it.The deceased was identified as Guljar Hussain an inhabitant of Nagaon...
Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi felicitated Dr. R.K Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at Rabindra Bhawan Guwahati on 04-03-08. Dr. R.K Pachauri's dynamic leadership fetched Nobel Peace Prize 2007 for IPCC. Pix by UB Photos.
The main Opposition Asom Gana Parishad on Tuesday staged walk out while the Speaker turned down the adjournment motion the party moved in the House alleging government’s all round failure. The motion was brought by Opposition leader Chandra Mohan Patoway and the ruling party members also were caught in a controversy. After hearing the arguments, Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai refused to entertainment the motion. The unhappy AGP members walked out of the House.
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