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.
Police on Monday arrested the tenth molester involved in the Guwahati incident. Identified Dipak Dey, he was arrested from Hatigaon. Earlier Deva Das was arrested from Guwahati on Monday night.He was arrested hours after the eighth molester was captured at Mukalmuwa in Nalbari district. With this, the number of molesters arrested in this connection has gone up to 9. He was indentified as Rupkanta Kalita. Search operations are on in Guwahati and nearby areas, including Meghalaya where the other three other main accused may have taken refuge.
The National Commission for Women has axed Alka Lamba from the panel set up to probe the Guwahati molestation case. NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma sacked her following a faux pas in which Lamba had revealed the name of the victim at a press conference. A three-member NCW team had visited Guwahati and met the victim on Saturday. They had blamed the police for reacting late in trying to save the girl.
Assam Police on Monday gilled Gauravjyoti Neog in connection with the Guwahati molestation case.According to information, off duty reporter with Newslive was summoned by Bhangagarh police station where he was grilled for several hours. The development took place hours after DGP JN Chaudhury spoke to Union home secretary RK Singh and apprised him of the breakthrough. Police have received flak for alleged delay in taking prompt action to stop crime and in arresting culprits.
Sources said Dispur apprised the Home Ministry of the fact that police was suspecting that TV journalist Gaurav Jyoti Neog might have orchestrated the molestation of the girl by instigating the mob as the prime accused...
Assam police have rushed a high level team to Bhubneswar to nab Amarjyoti Kalita who is understood to have been hiding in Puri. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the key accused was traced to Bhubaneswar. Talking to reporters in Dispur on Monday, Gogoi said that tracking of his mobile phone has pointed to his presence in Bhubaneswar. Police have announced Rs one lakh cash award for information on the whereabouts of Kalita.
Police on Monday arrested another accused in the molestation of a girl outside a pub here taking the number of those apprehended in the case to eight. Identified as Rupkanta Kalita, he was arrested from Nalbari and search operations are on in Guwahati and nearby areas, including Meghalaya where the other three other main accused may have taken refuge.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday met the molestation case victim and promised her more security and monetary relief. He further said that prime accused Amarjyoti Kalita would be arrested soon. Meanwhile, Guwahatti SSP Apurba Jiban Barua was shifted in connection with the incident. Police have already arrested eight people out of the 12 identified persons, who were involved in molesting and stripping the girl in public outside a pub in Guwahati on the night of July 9.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday expressed strong displeasure over the role of a local news channel journalist in the molestation case. Talking to reporters outside the Assam assembly on Monday, he called it a case of unethical journalism saying that he should have informed police as soon as possible. He said, "the media blames the government and particularly the police on all accounts, but journalists, too, have responsible role to play in society and in this particular case they have failed miserably."
Probe into the mob attack on MLA Rumi Nath and her second husband Jacky Zakir at Karimganj on June 30 is going on. This was what the government informed the Assam Assembly n Monday. Replying to a question, Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain told the assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the duo were brought to Guwahati with police escort. The minister was replying to questions on the first day of the assembly session after opposition members raised a furore over the culprits engaged in the attack on Nath in a Karimganj hotel last month.
The National Federation of Newspaper Employees has strongly condemned the attack on Tongam Rina of Arunachal Times on July 15 evening at Itanagar. Media report says that Ms Rina, 33, got bullet injuries at her belly and presently undergoing treatment at Ram Krishna Mission Hospital there.
In a statement issued on Monday by Nava Thakuria, zonal secretary of NFNE argues that the media persons remain vulnerable in Arunachal after Assam. Thakuria urged the State chief minister Nabam Tuki to take stern action against the miscreants such that the journalists can function in a fearless situation.
Following the incident, the members of Arunachal Pradesh Union for Working Journalists and...
Braving incessant rains that lashed the city for several hours, hundreds of people in Guwahati, took out a huge procession to show register their protest and anger against the role of government, police and the media on the recent molestation case. Protesters representing several organizations thronged Dighalipukhuri on Sunday and took out a rally demanding immediate arrest of all the culprits involved in it.
The organization include Nari Nirjatan Aikya Mancha, Nari Mukti Sangram Samiti, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, India Against Corruption, Bharat Swabhiman. The protesters were scheduled to meet the National Commission of Women delegation but only to be they refused.
KMSS leader Akhil...
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