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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The Assamese community of Toronto represented Assam in India’s 60th Independence day parade held in downtown Toronto on 19 Aug 07. The celebration of India @ 60 took place on Sunday 19 Aug 07 attended by the Indian community of Toronto, Consul general of India and other dignitaries from Ontario and Canadian Governments. It started with a 2 km long procession followed by a cultural program. Every state represented with their traditional attires. Both adults and children of Assamese community of Toronto took part in the parade with tradition silk (Muga and Pat) dress and Gamosha.The participants of Assamese community were proud to represent Assam in such an event wearing Assamese...
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The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi), the premier financial institution of the region and an agent for socio-economic change in the North East has implemented a number of innovative developmental plans for the benefit of the inhabitants of the region. In its twelve years of existence, in one of the most well-defined structures and adoption of best practices, NEDFi has been able to address the livelihood issues of the poor, the unorganised and peripheral communities by building upon their strength, in a cluster approach. Some of the major interventions made by NEDFi in this sphere were in Majlishpur craft village in Tripura, weaving cluster of Marups in Manipur,...
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