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.
22 Aug 2012 - 9:21am | editor
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Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is likely to visit Kokrajhar and Chirang on Monday to take stock of the situation in the riot hit districts. During the hurricane tour, the Union home minister is be apprised of the prevailing law and order situation by meet top civil and police officers. Chidambaram is likely to call on the leaders of both the groups to end the conflict. According to unconfirmed sources, he is likely to visit one or two relief camps set up for those affected people.
There is some let-up in Kokrajhar and Chirang. But the situation is tense. There is no report of any fresh incident of violence during the last 7 hours. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said that situation was back to normal barring a few stray incident. Four bodies were recovered in Gossaigaon on Friday taking the death toll to 58.
BJP on Friday blamed it all on Dispur for not taking timely action to rein in the ethnic violence in Assam. BJP activists staged a protest rally in New Delhi on Friday condemning the clash that took a heavy toll in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. The protestors shouted slogans alleging the utter inefficiency of the state government.
Party leader Vijay Goel accused state government of a delayed action in the deployment of army in the disturbed areas. He further held the illegal migrants responsible for the clash.
The weeklong ethnic clash seems to have kept the state’s political scene on the boil. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, AGP leader Atul Bora said that during their stock-taking visit to BTAD on Thursday, they got wind of a bitter conspiracy behind this ethnic clash that has taken a heavy toll. On the other hand, CPI would take out a peace rally on the streets of Guwahati on Saturday.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has partially blamed the Centre for providing him with inadequate security forces to bring the situation under control. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Fruday, Gogoi said that a reduction in Central forces has put him in a fix.
Gogoi also that his resignation over the issue was not going to help reduce the tension. “Had there been full forces there, the situation could have been controlled,” he said. Gogoi made it clear that he was not making it a vote bank politics. He said, “I do not need a single vote of the illegal migrants.”
An uneasy calm settled over Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of Assam on Friday a day before prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s healing visit to Kokrajhar. Four more bodies were recovered in Gossaigaon on Friday taking the death toll to over 60. One more person was killed in police firing at the height of ethnic clash in Dhubri. The curfew in Chirang was relaxed till 4 in the afternoon. The violence has rendered over 2 lakh people homeless in 400 villages.
Police on Thursday got remand of Amarjyoti Kalita when the prime accused in the infamous GS Road molestation case was produced before the Kamrup CJM court. Police sought Kalita in their remand for 5 days which was allowed. But the court slammed police for filing a case in loose sheet calling it an example of serious lapse in a high profile case.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is scheduled to visit Kokrajhar on Saturday in the time of ethnic clash that has so far left 42 people killed. Dr Singh, who happens to be a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, is set to visit the refugee camps during his day long visit to the worst-hit district. The prime minister is likely to visit parts of Chirang district along with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to take stock of the situation.
Police on Thursday arrested one more miscreant in the infamous GS Road molestation camp. Identified as Rubul Ali, the miscreant was arrested from Baihata chariali in the morning. He was straightly rushed to Guwahati to be grilled by the special investigation team of police. With this police have arrested 15 miscreants involved in the incident including the prime accused Amarjyoti Kalita and TV journalist Gauravjyoti Neog.
BJP on Thursday reiterated its allegations of a nefarious role of Bangladeshi immigrants in the on going ethnic clash that rocks BTAD areas where over 40 people were killed.
Talking to reporters in Guwahati, the BJP leader said that the government could have tried to avert it. Goel further alleged insufficient relief materials in the refugee camps set up in Kokrajhar ands Chirang districts.
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