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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BJP on Saturday sharpened attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a day after Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi blamed the Centre for delayed action to curb the violence. The party also accused the ruling Congress of being responsible for the ethnic violence. Talking to reporters, BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain demanded a reply from Manmohan Singh that Tarun Gogoi, who is their Chief Minister, has accused the Centre of not sending timely help and forces.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced a huge 300 crore package to pacify the boiling BTAD areas on his hurricane visit to Kokrajhar on Saturday.Addressing a press conference in Kokrajhar he said that the affected people would be given Rs 100 crore to be rehabilitated. Another Rs 100 crore rupees would be for providing the houses under the Indira Aawas Yojana for those rendered homeless in the clash. Dr Singh said that apart from these BTAD would get a huge 100 crore rupees for development schemes. Dr Singh who visited two relief camps said that the family members of the deceased ones would be compensated with 2 lakh rupees.
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Amid tight security, prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are on a stock-taking visit to Kokrajhar on Saturday. During the 4-hour long visit, the duo would take stock of the situation. They are also scheduled to visit to relief camps in Kokrajhar. At 12.30 noon they would review the situation with chief minister Tarun Gogoi, governor JB Patnike along with army, police and civil heavyweights in Barjhar. Dr Singh is expected to announce a special package for the victims before wrapping up the visit.Earlier, they landed at the LGB international airport at 10.30 am to be received by chief minister and governor and straightly left for Kokrajhar by a helicopter.
Kokrajhar virtually turns into a security fotress just before the stock-taking visit of prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday. Army, police and para military forces are on round-the-clock vigil in Kokrajhar to disperse the miscreants waiting to strike during the high profile visit. The situation in Kokrajhar is by and large normal. There is hardly any report of major incident during the last 12 hours. The district authorities have relaxed curfew in Kokrajhar from early in the morning.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are all set to visit in Kokrajhar on Saturday. The duo are scheduled to arrived in the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Barjhar at 10-30 in the morning. Accompanied by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Dr Singh and Gandhi will straightly leave for Kokrajhar to take stock of the situation. Apart from reviewing the situation, they are expected to visit a few relief camps to oversee relief works. Home Minister P Chidambaram will visit Kokrajhar and adjoining districts on Monday.
Caught in a barrage of controversy, Congress set up a 10-member coordination committee to look into the Kokrajhar violence. The panel has a few critics of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who are unhappy with the chief minister’s role. Earlier on Thursday evening, a team of Muslim MPs, including Congressmen, met Home Minister P Chidambaram and said they had lost faith in the Gogoi government.
In yet another major embarrassment, a minor boy and a 60-year-old man died in two different relief camps in Bilasipara on Friday. The district administration is yet to ascertain the cause. The relief camps set up for the refugees are overcrowded. A section of camp inmates alleged insufficient food, drinking water and medicines.
Central paramilitary forces are fanning in the violence-hit Kokrajhar, Chirang and other adjoining areas to rein in the strings of clashes that claimed at least 60 people during the last 6 days. Of the 65 paramilitary companies ordered, 53 companies have reached Assam so far to bring the situation under control. But the focus is concentrated on relief and rescue a day ahead of the prime minister’s visit.
A day before prime minister’s visit, the Centre on Friday rushed two teams of doctors and nurses to Kokrajhar and Chirang to boost efforts to provide relief and medical help to the refugees. In a video conference with Assam Chief Secretary Naba Kumar Das, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth reviewed the relief and medical arrangements for the victims.
According to official sources, two teams of physician, gynaecologist, paediatrician, public health specialists, resident doctors and nurses have arrived in the violence hit areas on Friday night. Nearly two lakh people have taken shelter in 250 relief camps in the five riot-hit districts of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Baksa and Dhubri.
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