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.
Causing major inconvenience to over 1,000 people, the Kolongpar passenger train stranded for over two hours after the train developed technical snag in Morigaon district on Thursday. The passenger train developed technical snag at Barahu near the Jagiraod train station at around 8.30am on its way from Nagaon to Guwahati. The stranded passengers were later brought to Guwahati in the Silghat-Kamakhya passenger train.
One person was killed and six were injured when a tempo collided head-on with a truck in Morigaon district on Thursday. The incident took place at Golchepa in the wee hours when the tempo, carrying ten passengers lost control and collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the tempo, Junmoni Bordoloi, died on the spot while others were rushed to the hospital. The tempo was on way from Jagiroad to Morigaon.
ULFA begins strike in Sivasagar district in the run up to the independence day. A police team had a narrow escape in Charaideo when a powerful bomb exploded in their full view near a body they were going to recover on Thursday.
The incident took place in the morning when a team of police from Mothurapur arrive in the Lengubor area to recover the body. As they reached the site, a powerful bomb exploded which was planted at an electric post. Identified as Michel Puty, he was taken away by a group of unidentified miscreants on Wednesday night. The body was spotted on Thursday morning where the bomb exploded. But there was no report of any casualty.
Tinsukia again falls in the deep grip of gas leakage erupting in sparks of fire. In yet another forecast of impending danger of gas leakage, the local in Hilikhaguri have noticed fire a week after they saw high levels of natural gas emissions in their fields. They came to see some sparks of fire in the field on Wednesday night in the evening. The villagers are afraid of devastating gas leakage in the area and even to burn fuel even to cook food in their houses. Same it happened in the nearby Deohall teas estate as well. The residents of the village blamed the nearby Oil India refinery for not paying any heed to their complaints. The villagers feel that the company should look for a long...
A CBI team will visit the violence-hit BTAD areas on Thursday acting on chief minister’s recommendation for a probe into the riot. Led by CBI Special Director and Joint Secretary (North East) at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Sambhu Singh, the team is set to hold discussions with the Assam Police officials regarding the cases related to the ongoing violence in Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Chirang and Bongaigaon districts which the investigating agency is likely to take over.
The state government has recommended 309 cases for investigation but the CBI may not be able to take over all the cases. It would therefore, discuss with senior Assam Police officials the sensitivities of the cases and...
Fresh tension is simmering in Kokrajhar when unidentified miscreants burnt down the headquarters of the All Bodo Students’ Union on Wednesday evening. The incident took place in the evening demanding that the State government provide adequate supplies including baby food, medicines and text books to inmates of the relief camps.
Ravi Shankar has stressed rebuilding of hopes and confidence of the people left traumatized at the height of the violence in the burning BTAD areas. During his visit to Kokrajhar on Wednesday, the spiritual leader also stressed a helping hand for the displaced people. He said that them that they were not alone in their moments of grief.Earlier he visited the violence victims a camp in a school in the Kokrajhar, where he distributed clothes to them, and gave them his blessings.
At least 20 people died and several others have been injured when a bus carrying around 40 people slipped into a deep gorge on the National Highway No 44 on Wednesday. The accident took place near Sonapur when the bus was on its way to Agartala from Guwahati on Tuesday wee hours. At least 20 bodies were recovered while the injured have been shifted to the nearest hospital.
BJP leader LK Advani came down heavily on Delhi and Dispur for the on going string of violence in BTAD areas and Dhubri. Initiating discussion on the issue in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the former deputy prime minister said he BJP leader says that the Prime Minister and central government have the most responsibility to resolve the situation in the state.
He said that the people of Assam feel that their lands will be seized and they will lose control over them. According to Adsvani, “the central government has more responsibility than even the state government in the matter.” He said that the fundamental problem was one of unchecked illegal immigration.
BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday demands immediate sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border to help the state get rid of the trouble mongers. He alleged that the ruling Congress has a tie-up with infiltrators from Bangladesh for its vote-bank politics and that this is the main problem for the recent violence in Assam. Speaking at a discussion on Bodo Hindus - Refugees in their own land, he said that Bangladeshi immigrants are main reason for the violent incidents in Assam. He appealed to all political parties to stand by the people of Indian origin and throw out the illegal migrants.
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