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.
8 Feb 2013 - 6:49pm | AT News
Good news. ITC Ltd. Promised to invest a huge Rs 500 crore into the fast moving consumer goods sector, especially in the food processing industry in the state.ITC Chairman Y.C. Deveshwar assured this...
31 Oct 2008 - 2:54am | editor
The serial blasts that shook the north eastern state of Assam on October 30, 2008 should be condemned by one and all. The inhumane act of injuring and killing the innocent people should be denounced...
22 Feb 2018 - 12:27am | AT News
KOKRAJHAR: In view of urgency in the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the district, the Kokrajhar district magistrate Niranjan Baruah has promulgated U/S 144/144-A Cr.P.C. This...
8 Dec 2019 - 10:24pm | Shajid Khan
The family members of the first martyr of the Assam Movement,Khargeswar Talukdar in run up of the December 10 which is observed as Swahid Diwas (Martyrs’ Day) in Assam to commemorate the death...
In a bid to spread peace and social harmony in BTAD areas, a delegation of senior most journalists visited Bilasipara on Friday as a part of the Goodwill Mission. Led Dr Anupam Kumar Roy, the team comprised 15 editors of the local dailies. The team had a meeting with the Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil), Bilasipara JVN Subramanyam who had apprised them of the initiatives of the administration towards restoring peace and normalcy in the Sub-Division. The delegation also enquired about the status of the health care facilities and relief materials being given to them by the administration. While interacting with the camp inmates the delegation told them to return to their places of residence and...
Life in BTAD areas and Dhubri district is rapidly limping back to normal. The last 48 hours are incident-free where curfew has been temporarily lifted from dawn to dusk. Same it is in Tezpur, Howly and Barpeta Road and Aam Bagan where situation improves gradually. Now the focus shifts to rehabilitation of the displaced people.
The Supreme Court has rushed a special team to assess the situation in BTAD areas and Dhubri district on Friday. Consisting of a group special commissioners the team is on a two days visit to Kokrajhar and Chirang districts where they took stock of the relief measures.
The team called on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in the evening in Dispur who appraised the team of the measures to ensure early rehabilitation of the displaced people.
The issue of the crippling bandh calls on Monday and Tuesday reached the Gauhati High Court which on Friday asks for an affidavit from the government. Taking up a public interest litigation filed by Arun Pathak, a division bench of the court fixed September 29 as the date of hearing of the plea. Pathak, in his PIL has demanded Rs 10 crore from Bajrang Dal and AMSU for causing damage to public property during the band calls on August 27 and 28. The PIL assumes significance a day after Dispur threatened to take action against the bandh calls from one month.
Unable to get back to their homes, many of the people displaced by the floods and the conflict in Assam are staying in overcrowded camps with no access to basic amenities like drinking water and sanitation. Unhygienic conditions and lack of electricity has only made their plight worse.
Over 4 lakh people in Assam probably never ever imagined that their lives would one day be like this. For over 40 days, children have not attended school, not eaten proper food and have not moved out of the camp area.
While flood affected people continue to stay on “platform” (mound of land) as they call it, conflict impacted people have taken shelter in relief camps. Nearly three and half...
The violence-hit people in BTAD areas would be rehabilitated only after proper verification of relevant documents. This was what a group of ministers decided at a meeting in Dispur on Friday. Chaired by senior minister Prithbi Majhi, the meeting decided to end the identification process by September 6.
Tezpur police have arrested on Friday in connection with the violence during the AMSU-sponsored Assam bandh on Tuesday. They were arrested from Bhujchapori area. They include some a few AMSU leaders and panchayat members who turned violent. They were arrested from Bhujchapori area. They include some a few AMSU leaders and panchayat members who turned violent.
Normalcy is back to BTAD areas. There is no report of any untoward incident in these areas during the last 24 hours. Now the focus shifts to rehabilitation of the displaced people. District administrations in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bagsa and Dhubri are gearing up to send to refugees back from the camps with required assistance for the process.
Despite deteriorating health, Mahendra Das is firm on fast unto death inside the Jorhat Central Jail. Das, whose fate hangs in balance due to an unfinished death sentence, said on Thursday that he won’t relent. Das, on Wednesday night was rushed the hospital following deteriorated health. But was taken back to the jail when his condition improved on Thursday morning. Das, a resident of Jorhat was convicted in a murder case after he beheaded a person 18 years ago and surrendered before police with the head. President confirmed his death sentence but still it mires in controversy.
A special train is scheduled to leave Guwahati for Bangalore on Saturday to carry the north east people who would be back to Karnataka to resume work.Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Thursday, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that those who left the southern city, mostly, are keen to go back to their job locations. The train, with 14 sleeper class coaches, will leave Guwahati railway station at 1.15 on Saturday.The train service is being started after the Assam and Karnataka governments asked the railways to help thousands of students and workers who had arrived home from Bangalore, Hyderabad and other southern cities following rumours of a backlash over the ethnic clashes in...
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