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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The move to auction 12 oil fields in Assam runs into a hail of state-wide protests. Announcing a slew of protest, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad threatens to intensify protest if the...
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Social worker, ardent follower of satriya culture and astrologer, Prasanna Mahanta of Sr iSri Na-Mati Katonipar Satra, Nangalamora passes away at Assam medical college, Dibrugarh on January 17 at...
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An all party peace meeting was held at the Deputy Commissioner conference hall in Korajhar today to discuss on the prevailing law and order situation and other issues pertaining to the district.
It...
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Mukesh Agarwala is now Guwahati police commissioner. Additional Director General of Police took the charge after Jyotirmoy Chakraborty left for training abroad.After assuming the charge Agarwala held...
After a brief halt, Dima Hasao erupts in an uneasy situation. A businessman died at an incident of miscreant attack on Tuesday. The incident took place at 8-30 in the evening when unidentified miscreants sprayed several rounds of bullets at a businessman at Convent Road in Haflong town. Identified as Panchadhar Chaudhury, the business man was on his way back to his residence from his firm. A seriously injured Chaudhury was taken to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. The miscreants vanished from the spot amid darkness. Policemen rushed to the spot. Investigation is going on.
Guwahati police on Tuesday arrested a person charging him with trying to outraging the modesty of a girl in the city on Monday. The arrested youth works with Amtron in Guwahati. The incident took place at GS Road in Guwahati where a group of miscreants stripped off a teen aged girl on Monday night in full view of the local residents.
Good news for Assam. Courtesy Asian Development Bank. It has extended loans worth Rs 1,462 cr to the Assam government to improve road infrastructure in the state. In three separate loan agreements signed between ADB and the government, Rs 374 crore to improve road connectivity in the north-eastern region. The loan to improve road connectivity in north-eastern region will be used to improve and upgrade 434 kilometres of road in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. The project is expected to be completed by 2016.
A huge fund meant for uplift of the minority people went to the Centre because of some bunglings in Dispur.The allegation came from the Rajiv Bhawan where the party’s minority cell said that the central fund to the tune of Rs 137 crore remained idle during 2011-2012. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee blames it all on a circle of bureaucrats. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Tuesday, APCC minority cell chairman said that they would from now on keep a watch on central and state government schemes for welfare of minorities and check utlisation of funds allocated for such purposes.
Caught in a string of anomalies and irregularities, the Assam Human Rights Commission has directed Dispur to form a high-level committee to investigate the allegations during the past five years. According to information, the decision was taken after the commission went through the media reports during recent weeks on 'massive embezzlement' of money in flood control and relief operations. It has directed the chief secretary NK Das to form a three-member panel to probe the allegations.
Local residents caught seven NDFB militants of the Ranjan Daimary faction and handed them over to the police at Udalguri district of Assam on Tuesday. According to police, seven, among whom five were NDFB(R) cadres and two linkwomen associated with the outfit, were caught by locals at Natun Basti area in the morning.
The seven had been involved in many incidents of extortion in the area. A huge cache of arms including one US made pistol, 15 rounds of catridges, six hand grenades and two denonators, besides some incriminating documents, were recovered from them. The five NDFB(R) cadres have been identified as Pranjal Basumatary, Bhagya Bodo, Sansuma Basumatary, Saila Basumatary and Nersun...
A seven member Central team is on a three days stock taking visit to the flood-hit areas. Divided into three groups, the committee will tour lower and upper Assam district apart from the Barak valley. The team is expected to prepare a report on the extent of damage by flood and erosion. They are also likely to meet state Chief Secretary Naba Kumar Das on Thursday and hold discussions on flood situations along with rescue and relief measures.
The flash flood has rendered around 250 families homeless in Cachar district. The worst-hit areas include Madhura in Udharbond. The river Madhura, which originates from the hills of the neighbouring Dima Hasao district, completely ravaged the village with 22 families losing their homes and belongings. Assam Sports and Excise Minister Ajit Singh has directed the authorities to provide relief to the affected villagers.
The flood wave that ravages 27 districts have left Kaziranga National Park worst-hit. The toll of animals in the UNESCO World Heritage has mounted to 595. These include 17 rhinos, 512 hog deers, 28 wild boar, 15 sambars, 10 swamp deers, five porcupines, elephants, hogbadgers and python and one each of buffalo and jackal respectively.
The overall flood situation remains grim on Monday. Vast tracts of land in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys are still submerged. The death toll continues to mount till 125. According to information, an estimated 24 lakh people have been affected in the worst-ever flood in recent years causing large-scale devastation in 4,540 villages with more than 9.35 lakh hectares of land completely inundated. The water levels of the major rivers are refusing to recede even after the halt in the incessant rains. The agriculture sector has been severely affected by the current wave of flood with 2.55 lakh hectares of cropland under water.
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