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.
26 Jan 2014 - 6:05pm | SK Hasan
The 65th Republic day observed peacefully at Nazira sub division today. The central ceremonial programme was held at Nazira play ground where Mousumi Baruah, SDO Civil hoisted the...
1 Jan 2022 - 12:16pm | AT News
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, wishes all media workers around the world a happy, secure and prosperous new year. The bygone year witnessed the killing of 79...
15 Jun 2010 - 2:40am | editor
Journalists’ Forum, Assam (JFA) has organized a Citizen’s Meet on June 19 (Saturday) to discuss about the ongoing poaching of endangered one horn rhinoceros in Assam. The meeting will...
Rebati Neog Assam's Bhoot Jolokia has become famous as the worlds hottest chilly a few months back. Guinness Book of World Records has awarded this title to our very own red chili and the media all across has been covering this event widely. But almost all reports in English named this chilly as “ghost chilly” translating the name directly from Assamese. In Assamese “bhut” stands for “ghost”. Bhot actually means people of Bhutan. Awarded chili is Bhot Jolokiya not Bhut Jolokiya In Assam everyone knows it. Some journalist made this mistake sometime back and it is continuing
Kaziranga : One rhino was drowned at Kohora Range in Kaziranga National Park. This is the first reported death of any big animal in the park after floods submerged more then 60% of the park area. Officials believes that the rhino actually died at lest one week ago and was over aged. The horn was intact which proved that it is not a case of poaching.
Guwahati : A Leopard killed one teenaged boy and injured five others on Wednesday in Upper Assam's Dibrugarh district. Police sources informed that 11 years old Dhirsai Garh, son of Maheswar Garh of Bhadoi Panch Ali went to bring back his cattle herd on Wednesday evening when a leopard attacked him. He succumbed to his injuries immediately. Angry villagers managed to track down the leopard in a tea garden near Bhadoi Reserve Forest. They attacked it immediately with a sharp weapon. The Leopard attacked in retaliation and injured five people. Later however the villagers managed to kill the man-eater. In another incident, two Rhinos moving out from Kaziranga National Park created panic in...
Guwahati: Army fatigues (olive green stripes) have been banned in Assam from 1st of August in view of the Independence Day on 15th of August 2007. Every year it is observed that the State witnesses an escalation in violence before the Independence Day celebrations and it is easy for militants to wear army fatigues and mingle with the crowd. Moreover there have been reports of incidents from Dibrugarh where ULFA militants had dressed in army fatigues and harassed woman in some villages. And hence the administration has decided to go ahead with the ban.
Nagaon: Unidentified gunmen killed an Assam State Electricity Board employee at Nagaon on Thursday and flew away with cash amounting to Rupees 2.6 lakhs. This amount was the cash collection of the day at Nagaon Electrical Division-1, which is the only revenue collection branch for the entire district from consumers against their monthly bill. This happened when two staff members of the office and a security man were boarding a vehicle with the cash in a bag to deposit in the Bank at 2.45 PM. Two armed youths who were loitering there for some time came close to the vehicle and tried to snatch the bag. When challenged they fired at the driver, and one of the ASEB employees, Guna Das. Das was...
Guwahati: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has been given a grant by Hewlett Packard (HP) amounting to approximately $75,000 worth of technology.HP India Director, P Ravindranathan announced at a press conference that the grant was aimed at integrating mobile technology and educational infrastructure and transforming the way subjects are taught on its campus. The grant would comprise things like HP tablet PCs, wireless networking cards and printers , optical drives and stipends for people to complete work on projects which have to be completed within a year, Gautam Barua, Director IIT, Guwahati welcomed the grant and said that it would benefit the students and the...
Guwahati: Guwahati High Court on Wednesday stayed the appointment of 13,318 numbers of Anganabadi Workers in the Social Warfare Department. This would have been the biggest appointment in the second term of the Tarun Gogoi led Congress government. The Social Welfare Department had published a selection list to fill up vacancies in 6659 centers located in various places of the state a few days back. Post this advocate Rita Devi had filed a writ petition at the High Court alleging discrimination in filling up of these vacancies. Accepting the application, the court has stayed this process until further orders and has asked the Government to file an affidavit within three weeks.
Barpeta: Police opened fire and lathi-charged a group of flood-hit people on Wednesday who were blocking a highway near Barpeta town demanding urgent relief. One minor and several other people were injured in this incident. About 1500 people were taking shelter at Bhella High Secondary School since Saturday last, but not getting any kind of Government relief or other support. The angry villagers blocked Barpeta-Doulashal road on Wednesday evening in protest. A police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police reached the spot immediately and tried to clear road forcefully. When people protested, police lathi charged to disperse the mob. People started pelting stones and brick pieces...
Guwahati: Popular singer Zubeen Garg and many others joined hands to save Kaziranga National Park, the home of the one horned Rhinoceros in Upper Assam. On Wednesday a team of at least twenty artists led by Zubeen camped at Kaziranga, attended several street meetings, held a protest march, distributed leaflets, sang a song specially composed for the occasion and drew a painting on the theme save wildlife, preserve Kaziranga to create awareness among common people residing in nearby villages.They also encouraged volunteers of different NGO and local people who engaged themselves in night patrolling on National highway 37 passing through the Park area to save animals from speeding vehicles...
Guwahati: After weeklong heavy down pour, floodwater submerged the world famous Kaziranga National Park in several places. Park authority informs that at least 60% of the park area was inundated and water level is rising day-by-day covering more area. It is yet to be ascertained, whether floods are a curse or blessing to the park known for the one horned rhinoceros worldwide. Three years of consecutive draught damaged the ecology of the park whereas fresh floods every monsoon helps park grazing lands to grow plenty of grass creating a good stock of étagè for the entire year. Flood waters also helps to carry out excess production of fish from marsh and low lying areas of the park...
Comments
Pages
Add new comment