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.
10 Jan 2018 - 5:59pm | AT News
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The Assam government finds it quite difficult to implement a number of vital schemes after the Centre cut down its shares.In his budget speech on the floor of the House on Tuesday, Chief minister...
Celebrating freedom is a basic human right. But the people of Assam or the northeast for that matter have been deprived of this joyous occasion for so long that it has lost its charm completely. The shadow of guns have always prohibited the people to let their hair down freely on these special days be it a Republic Day or an Independence Day.When the entire nation erupts in joy celebrating these days of national significance Assam watches waiting on the sidelines awaiting a day when it too can partake in the festivities.The people are unable to exercise their basic rights freely due to the decree of rebel organizations. As expected a series of serial bombings across the state marred the...
Assam Association, Delhi has celebrated the 61st Independence day at their Cultural Centre Srimanta Sankaradeva Bhawan located at Qutub Institutional Area. This was the second consecutive year that the association has been celebrating the occasion.The National Flag was unfurled jointly by the President and General Secretary. Speaking on the occasion, the President Mr. A Barua said that this is a very historic occasion as India celebrates its Diamond jubilee year of independence. It was in the same year a few people from Assam formed the 'Assam Sangha"- which later was renamed as "Assam Association, Delhi". India has made tremendous progress against many odds. It is growing...
Guwahati: To mark the 61st anniversary of Indian Independence Day, a function was organized on the campus of the Guwahati Press Club on Wednesday. On the occasion, the National flag was hoisted by noted litterateur Nirupama Borgohain and veteran journalist Dhirendranath Chakrabarty led the rituals of paying tributes to the martyrs of the freedom struggle. The function was organized in response to the call given by 16 journalists, who asked the people of the State to celebrate the Independence Day defying the diktats of the militants.Hoisting the flag, Ms Borgohain underlined the significance of Independence Day celebrations in today's context and she called upon the young generations...
New Delhi : The President has approved Kirti Chakra award to Shri Tarun Kumar Dutta (Guwahati) posthumously. Shri Tarun Kumar Dutta, Senior Intelligence Officer of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Guwahati. He was a brave officer who was actively involved in the checking of smuggling of drugs in Shillong region. He was made a target by the drug mafia and killed on 12 September, 2006 at Guwahati. The other Kirti Chakra winners are Capt Abhinav Handa of 9 Maratha Light Infantry and Lt. Pankaj Kumar of 7/11 Gorkha Rifles. Dutta, originaly an Inspector of Central Excise was on deputation to Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, which works under the jurisdiction of Central Board of Excise...
Guwahati : A 12 hour long statewide Assam bandh disrupted normal life in the state from early in the morning. The Bandh was called by a forum of 12 political parties to protest against the killings of Hindi-speaking people by the ULFA and KLNLF militants in Karbi Anglong district. The Bandh is total and barring a few stray incidents, the situation is reported to be normal. Schools, colleges, banks and other commercial establishments remain closed and the government, semi government and private offices registered thin attendance. Very few vehicles are plying on the streets and all long distance buses are lying idle. A few state transport buses are on the streets and that too with police...
New Delhi : Though it is hard to believe, an India Air Force team recovered the dead body of an Assamese airman, who had gone missing thirty years back from Chandrabhaga peak of Himachal Pradesh on 2nd of August. The airman has been identified as Mahendra Nath Phukan of Sivsagar district in upper Assam. Altogether three dead bodies have been recovered from the site. All the three had gone missing since February 7, 1968 after the IAF plane that they were travelling in crashed near the 20,500-foot high Chandrabhaga peak in Himachal Pradesh. The dead bodies had been located in a remote Himalayan valley and flown to Chandigarh air base, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said on last Friday....
Guwahati : Security forces have decided to launch joint operations against ULFA and KLNLF militants according to well-placed government sources This is obvious, as militants had killed 34 Hindi speaking people in the last five days in Karbi Anglong. Earlier a meeting of the Strategic Group of Unified Command Structure held at Guwahati today discussed about the situation and decided to send 15 more company Para-military forces to Karbi Anglong immediately. Assam chief Minister Tarun Gogoi presided over this meeting, where Special Secretary (Internal Security) of the ministry of Home Affairs, M L Kumwat, and Director NE of the ministry A K Goel, DG, BSF, A K Mitra and his CRPF counterpart...
Guwahati : Three Bihari organizations, Akhil Assam Bhojpuri Yuba Chatra Parishad, Akhil Assam Bihari Yuba Manch and Purbottar Hindustani sammelan have called a 12-hour ‘Assam Bandh` on 14th August to protest the killings of Hindi-speaking people in the Karbi Anglong by ULFA and KLNLF in last week. Twelve other political parties also joined their hands and have called a 12-hour bandh separately on the same day. The parties are Asom Gana Parishad Pragatisheel (AGP-P), Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), CPI and CPI (M). The Kamrup Chamber of Commerce (KCC) has also declared support to the bandh
NEW DELHI: The UAE Govt has launched a scheme for granting amnesty to foreigners who are illegally staying in the country. The scheme was launched to give a chance to all foreigners illegally staying in the country to regularize their status. Till date according to the Ministry of External Affairs more that 28,000 Indians have returned to The Indian consulate general in Dubai informed in a statement that it had already distributed around 19,100 of the 40,000 Indian passports received from immigration authorities. It may be mentioned that most of these people are contract labourers who come for a particular period of time. The consulate also said it had delivered 31,500 emergency...
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