Skip to content Skip to navigation

Anti dam protest greets Jairam Ramesh in Guwahati

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.


Comments

Hayang's picture

--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.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Hemoglobin test for scribes at GPC

16 May 2019 - 5:06pm | AT News
Guwahati: Northeast India’s pioneer healthcare institute, Down Town Hospital is conducting a free hemoglobin screening camp at Guwahati Press Club (GPC) on 18 May 2019. The camp, organized under the...

Simulation exercise on emergency management and flood rescue operations held in Jorhat

12 Jun 2022 - 12:00pm | Sumi Buragohain
A community level training on 'Emergency Management and Flood Rescue Operations' is being held at the flood hit village of Jhanjimkuh in Jorhat district, Assam on 10th June, Friday. The daylong event...

Reshuffle eludes cabinet meet

3 Nov 2014 - 5:54am | AT News
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi held the much-awaited cabinet meeting at his Koinadhara residence on Sunday evening. But contrary to what was widely expected no minister was asked to put in papers to...

Sahitya Sabha Prez quits

30 Dec 2016 - 10:40pm | AT News
Caught in a paralyzing controversy Dr Dhrubajoti Borah is understood to have resigned as the Asom Sahitya Sabha president. The resignation was on expected line in view of the stinging controversy...

Other Contents by Author

Guwahati : Police killed two Adivashi militants in Karbi Anglong district in a fierce battle on Saturday night. A police team had started a search operation after they got some specific information’s about a hide out of All Adivashi National Liberation Army. When the police team reached Kabir Dharmanagar village in Longsekjan Mandir Road, under Howraghat police station, the militants opened fire on the police team. On being challenged, they tried to flee. Later police recovered two bullet ridden dead bodies from the area along with one hand made gun and one pistol.
Guwahati : Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will visit flood ravaged Dhemaji and Lakhimpur on7th of August, informs Assam Pradesh Congress Committee sources. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and others will accompany her. Smti. Gandhi will arrive either at Mohabari Airport in Dibrugarh or Leelebari Airport in Lakhimpur at around 9.30-10.30 AM by a special flight and board a copter to inspect the damages caused by the flood situation of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur. She will also interact with a few sets of devastated people in different places. Post that she will precede towards Barpeta on a copter again. There too, she will meet some flood-hit people. Her visit will be ended...
Diphu : The dreaded Karbi extremist organization Karbi Longri National Liberation Force has declared a 100 hour Karbi Anglong Bandh from Sunday morning to protest against police atrocities on their members. Police sources in Karbi Anglong said that Bandh has been started peacefully. No untoward incidents were reported from any where in the district, the sources informed
Guwahati : Two programmed timer devices were exploded at Sivsagar and Sonari town in Upper Assam on Sunday morning. The first bomb was exploded at about 8.30 AM near Sonari police station and the second was in front of Ashok Hotel owned by a Hindi speaking person at 8.50 AM. Ten people including police personnel were injured at Sonari and two at Sivasagar. Police suspects that United Liberation Front of Assam has set off these blasts to create panic among police and common people before Independence Day. No Causality was reported as it was Sunday and occurred in very early morning and no one there.
"Ajan Fakir Saheb", a new Assamese Film is to be released in Mumbai shortly. The film is directed by Ashif Ikbal Hussain. It is a period film based on the life of the great Ajan Fakir who came from Baghdad originally. The film portrays the social, political and economical life in earlier times. The most noteworthy aspect of the film is that it has tried to focus not only on the religious and communal harmony existing at that time but has also tried to show the work culture that was prevalent in Assam at that time.Ajan Fakir is being portrayed by the great Actor, Bishnu Khagaria. Khargaria is very happy to be portraying the role of the Ajan Fakir. He has said that this is a very...
Video Film “Saharar Mayajal” is slated for release on September. The shooting of Saharar Mayajal has been completed and the editing of this new video film is going on at present.The film has been produced by Dhirija Films and directed by the famous Guwahati based telefilm director, Hitesh Pathak. The story has been written by the famous singer and music director and owner of Nagaon Radio Center, Mr Abani Ranjan Pathak. Dialogues and cinematography is by Mr Pankaj Pallav Sarmah. The story revolves around an educated unemployed youth, Aniruddha tries to establish himself in his own village and is influenced by his grandfather.The leading actors of the movie are Jayanata Bhagabati...
Guwahati: An Indian flight from Kolkata to Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh district of Assam made an emergency landing at Dumdum airport on Friday after developing problems in the engine. The pilot informed Air Traffic Control (ATC) about an unusual sound and smoke coming out from the engine and requested permission to land. ATC had arranged an emergency landing at Dumdum.The flight, CD-7201 was originally scheduled at 0945 AM, but left Kolkata at 1030 hours because of some unavoidable delay. The flight had developed problems after it crossed only ten minutes journey.The flight, with more then 100 passengers, made a safe landing at Dumdum airport at about 1055 hours. Later all passengers...
Guwahati: Police Friday recovered 950 grams of Heroin from a smuggler from Sonarfuli village under Patacharkuchi police station in Barpeta district. Bagsha police carried out this operation after they got specific information. Police caught one Anu Rabha with the Polly packed Heroin. The packet contains a brand name ‘Tiger Brand’ and a picture of the big cat. Police informed that the value of the drugs in black market is more then worth Rs. 45 lakhs. The peddler also informed that he collected this packet from Panjabari, in Guwahati after paying cash Rs 5 Lakhs. City police immediately searched several locations in Panjabari to nab the culprits but failed as they flew away far...
Guwahati: Corruption in the name of anti corruption. Police informed that, a group of youth in lower Assam had formed a self-styled organization “Anti Corruption Force of Assam” to collect money illegally from Traders, contractors and Corrupt Government officers in 2004. Since then they have been raising several lakhs of rupees from different people. Bagsha police Friday caught Babul Rabha from Barbari, recovered one hand grenade and some incriminating document including demand notes and money receipts. Rabha informed police that Durniti Nibarak Bahini, Asom, (ACFA) is active in Barpeta, Bagsha and Nalbari district with nearly fifty members joined in it. A case has been...
Imphal: All daily newspapers published from Manipur are closing down their publications since Wednesday to protest against threats of militants to media. News bulletins aired on local cable channels have also stopped supporting a decision taken by the Editors Guild and All Manipur Working Journalists Association. On Tuesday night, militants had sent a RPG cell wrapped in a gift pack to the office of Sanghai Express, a daily news paper published from Imphal. The person who delivered the parcel to the staff of the newspaper identified himself as a messenger of Peoples Republic of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and told them that this was their first warning to the Editor. He ordered not to publish any...