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.
5 Jun 2010 - 3:09pm | editor
National Union of Journalists Assam chapter in association with Gramya Vikas Mancha has organized a media workshop on climate change and disaster risk reduction on June 6. The workshop will be...
4 Nov 2015 - 9:18pm | AT News Itanagar
The Bharatiya Janata Party, Arunachal Pradesh seeks the intervention of His Excellency, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa to hold back Nabam Tuki led Congress Govt. from...
12 Dec 2016 - 8:40pm | Shajid Khan
The people of the Muslim community took part in special prayers at Tangla Bara Masjid and Banseria Masjid on Monday to mark the celebrations of Eid Milad Un-Nabi. Celebrated on the 12th day of Rabi-...
28 Jun 2012 - 5:38pm | editor
Sivasagar district claiming at least eleven people within a period of 17 days. According to district health and family welfare officials, the victims hail from 5 in Geleki, Patsaku and Morabazar area...
The Board of Secondary Education, Assam on Friday announced the results of the HSLC and AHM examination it conducted in February-March. Gyandeep Sarma from Shankardev Shishu Vidya Niketan in Bokakhat, Bhaswati Deka from St. Mary’s English High School in Maligaon and Stuty Khound from Shankardev Sishu Vidya Niketan in Biswanath Chariali topped HSLC examination this time leaving many reputed schools red-faced.
The percentage of successful candidates this year is 69.63 where altogether 2,78, 704 candidates appeared. Altogether 1,94,067 candidates have cleared the HSLC examination out of whom 26,203 have been ranked in first division and 68,180 candidates have secured second division....
Stunned by a number of anomalies and controversy, the Board of Secondary Education, Assam is prepared to announce the results of the HSLC and AHM examination on Friday it conducted in February. SEBA on Thursday dispatched the results to different centres and the result booklets would be available in all the 51 zones to be announced at 12 noon on Friday. Last year, SEBA declared the HSLC/AHM examinations on May 27. This time it was delayed because of a number of difficulties.
Security forces recovered a huge IED in Sonari bordering Nagaland on Thursday. The powerful IED was recovered in the morning at Teokhabi village which was kept beneath the ground at the backyard of the resident Tankeswar Kurmi. The IED was believed to have been planted by ULFA’s Paresh Baruah faction which was seized during a search operation by Army’s 299 Field Regiment. Later it was defused by army’s bomb squad.
Heavy presence of security forces seems to have proved a futile effort to ensure safety and security of the people. Valuable properties worth Rs 5 lakh was looted from the Ganesh temple by thieves in Dispur on Wednesday. The incident took place in the mid night when it was raining outside. The thieves barged into the temple breaking the shutters and looted gold and silver which kept inside the almirahs. The thieves also stole an umbrella installed with the idol.
The incident came to light on Thursday morning and the temple and committee and devotees called it an utter failure of the government to ensure safety of life and properties even in Dispur. Dispur police have already registered a...
Normal train services to and from Guwahati was left paralyzed on Thursday when over 500 people blocked a new Delhi bound train in Dudhnoi alleging government failure to rescue to teachers who were kidnapped from Assam-Meghalaya border last month.
Braving incessant rains, protestors representing altogether 8 local organizations blocked the train in the morning which forced the Northeast Frontier Railway to reschedule the trains in the morning session. Shouting slogans, the protestors alleged the government’s inaction to rescue the two teachers namely Sarit Rabha and Kameswar Rabha last month from the Assam-Meghalaya border.
In a unique step forward, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in association with Directorate of Information and Public Relations staged street plays in 10 different locations of Guwahati. The inaugural play was staged at the Regional Science Centre and consecutively it was staged in eight different locations in Guwahati. The final street play of this series was held at Assam Secretariat campus on June 13. The street play was organised in order to sensitize the staff and officials of Secretariat on key earthquake messages.
Prithvi Majhi Hon’ble Minister, Revenue...
Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha on Wednesday took out protest in the various cities and towns across the state in protest against deteriorating law and order situation. The protestors burnt effigies of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at various places saying that the agitation was intended to highlight the law and order situation in the state and the government's failure to take any remedial measures.
A high-level meeting between Assam and Nagaland that took place in Wokha district decided to ease the prevailing tension in Merapani where three houses were burnt. Deputy Commissioners and senior CRPF officials discussed the law and order situation along the interstate border. Tensions escalated after three houses on the Assam side were torched by a group of armed Nagas from across the border on June 11.
The Wokha district administration has agreed to pay Rs 10,000 each to the affected families and the CRPF has also agreed to intensify patrolling along the border. Peace committees have been engaged in the disputed area and some police personnel would also be deployed there for a few days...
The Opposition AGP on Wednesday dared the government to take action on the Justice K N Saikia commission report on the alleged 'secret killings' which shook the state between 1998 and 2001. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Tuesday, party leaders said that the Congress government has taken no action on the report of the judicial commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Saikia.
They said that the AGP government, which ruled Assam between 1996 and 2001, had formed a commission under Justice S Haque to investigate the killings when scores of people, including relatives of ULFA leaders, were killed by unidentified gunmen.
The Saikia commission had been formed in 2005 and...
Three persons were killed and another person was critically injured when a bus hit them in Sonitpur district of Assam on Wednesday. The mishap took place at Patgaon when the four persons were travelling in motorbikes who were hit by a bus on its way from Guwahati to Lakhimpur district. Three persons died on the spot and critically injuring another. The deceased were identified as Dhrubajyoti Saikia, Niraj Mishra and Gopal Mandal while the injured, Ananta Saikia, has been shifted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital.
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