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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Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday appealed to the political parties not to indulge in blamegame on the BTAD clash and massive exodus of north east people from the southern side. He said it when he convened an all party meeting in Dispur on Friday. The meeting decided to dispatch an all party delegation to the riot hit areas.
The overall situation in Rangiya is by and large normal on Friday where curfew was relaxed. According to police, security forces are maintaining a strict vigil in Rangiya, as well as other trouble-torn areas of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Dhubri and Baksa districts. Shops and markets in Rangiya opened in the morning after relaxation of the curfew. Senior police and administration officials are camping at Rangiya to oversee the situation.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday appealed to the north east living in Mumbai, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh not to give in to rumours of attack. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi said that there was panic amongst the students and people hailing from north east. Gogoi said,“a lot of rumours are doing the rounds and this is creating panic amongst the people. There is no need to panic, people should not give in to rumours.” DoNER minister also said a circle of unidentified people are spreading rumours spread resulting in the exodus. He spoke to the Karnataka Home Secretary and appealed to the people not to panic or believe rumours.
Over 6,000 people hailing from Assam have left Bangalore are arriving the home state on Thursday following rumours of attack by miscreants after the BTAD clashes. According to reports, the people, mostly, students fear safety and security as they received anonymous SMSes saying they would be targeted in retaliatory attacks.In a scene that suggests utter panic, many people were seen boarding trains out of Bangalore on Wednesday, even after Karnataka's Home Minister R Ashok asked them not to leave the IT city. Karnataka DGP Lalrokhuma Pachuau appealed to the Northeast students to not panic. He said that they should not panic as there is not a single attack anywhere. Railway PRO in Banglore...
The Centre on Thursday said that there was no threat to the people of Assam in any part of the country.Reacting to the spreading rumour and panic thaty gripped among the people of Assam, he said that there is no need to panic. Following rumours of attack on some of their compatriots, about 5,000 people from returned to their home towns even as Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar assured them of security.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde spoke to Shettar on Wednesday night and were understood to have asked him to ensure the safety of people from Assam.
There is report of fresh violence in BTAD areas. The violence broke out in Baksa district when police opened fire at the mob on Thursday morning. Police opened fire to disperse mob which had reportedly torched a bus and bridge in Baksa district. Army has been deployed in Tamalpur area of Baksa district.
BJP President Nitin Gadkari said that the fresh violence in BTAD violence is unfortunate and that immigrants are behind the clashes. He observed that the strings of violence in Assam are unfortunate, there seems to be a foreign angle to this. The violence comes a day after government's deadline to the villagers to return to their homes ended. The violence that have so far claimed 77 lives, is appearing to be spreading in the other parts of the state.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi says on Wednesday that his government will continue the initiatives to help the state develope on all fronts. Unfurling the national tri colour at Khanapara in the morning, Gogoi said that the development initiatives are paying dividends.
Gogoi said that the violence-hit people in the refugee camps would be taken care of. Gogoi, who unfurled the tricolour for 12th times took salute of the armed forces and NCC.
Pune police are running a massive drive to find out the miscreants behind spreading MMS clip and text SMS on the recent BTAD and Dhubri incidents. At least 10 students from north east have been beaten up in a string of incidents in the last three days in Kondhwa and Pune Camp areas of the city. Eleven others have been arrested in two of these cases so far for doctoring MMS clips and text messages on recent ethnic riots in BTAD areas and Dhubri district.
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More than 400 students are believed to have fled from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharasthra fearing attack in the time of BTAD riot. According to reports, 400 Bodo, Koch-Rajbongshi and Adivasi youths have come back to Kokrajhar district after being humiliated by some miscreants in those States following the clash in BTAD. This is apart from 30 Bodo students who have come back to Chirang in the past few days fearing attack in these states.
AASU and ABSU leaders have expressed concern over the exodus of students and urged the government to provide them security in those states.
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