Skip to content Skip to navigation

NGO lambastes Brahmaputra Board

GUWAHATI: At a time when floodwave and erosion continue to ravage Assam, a mute Brahmaputra Board runs with a section of corrupt officials and an “illegaly appointed” officier at its helm of affairs.

Speaking to assamtimes, chairman with Assam Enviro-Legal Protection Society Anjan Goswami alleges that set up to check flood and erosion in the state with as many as 48 projects, the Board now runs without a permanent chairman which is a clear violation of the Section 4 of the Brahmaputra Board Act, 1980.

“We have already knocked at the door of the Gauhati High Court to challenge the appointment of Dr TG Anthony Balan, who was stated to be a retired person.

He was allowed to function as the chairman of the Board without any lawful extension of his service and without the approval of the Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC),” says the legal advisor with the NGO legal advisor NH Mazharbhuyan.

According to Mr Majarbhuyan, “after the filing of a case (No 2714/2007) at the Gauhati High Court, Balan was replaced.

“And that too by SK Choudhury, a Shillong-based Chief Engineer of Brahmaputra and Barak Basins under the Central Water Commission by giving him the additional charge of running the board.”

The officials with the NGO maintain that as per the laid down rules, the sitting vice-president of the Board PK Deka should have given the charge in the absence of the chairman which didnot happen, they rue.

Mr Goswami further levels an accusing finger against a section of Board officials saying these people engage contractors from outside and also in several cases , payments are made illegally in advance.

Mr Mazharbhuyan and Mr Goswami say they will leave for New Delhi soon to apprise the Union water resource minister and the as the MPs from the North-east, of the irregularities and functionings that have been puncturing the Board.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Dutta’s date with Sonia

14 Jul 2015 - 10:07am | AT News
Amid resurfacing dissidence APCC president Anjan Dutta is scheduled to meet Sonia Gandhi to discuss some crucial issues on Tuesday.Sources told Assam Times that Dutta is likely to seek the party high...

Fire ravages shops in Kokrajhar

16 Oct 2017 - 6:24pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Properties worth twelve lakhs were reduced to ashes when a massive  fire gutted at  least four shops in Kojrajhar on Monday. The fire broke out at a tea shop in Balajan Tinali Bazar in the...

Akhil sent to jail

19 Sep 2017 - 8:17am | AT News
A lower court in Dibrugarh remanded Akhil Gogoi to fourteen days judicial custody after police produced the peasant leader before it following the end of police custody.  Police sought Gogoi in...

Centre releases Rs 193 cr

9 Sep 2015 - 10:52pm | AT News
Amid a bitter blame game between Sarbananda Sonowal and Tarun Gogoi over the flood assistance, the Centre on Wednesday released Rs 193 crore to Dispur.The Chief Minister’s Office told Assam Times...

Other Contents by Author

The Assam Adivasi organisations say they will intensify the agitation if the government fails to accord them schedule tribe status within 15days.The leaders of the state’s tea community organisations including All Assam Adivasi Students Association (AASA), All Assam Tea Tribe Students Association (AATTSA), Assam Charh Mazdoor Sangstha, Assam Chah Janajati Yuba Santha along with the tea cell leaders of the political parties met in Dispur on Friday and decided this course of action.The meeting asked the governments both in Dsipur and Delhi to clear their stands on the status so that they are not forced to take agitational path.The speakers blamed it all on the state government for the...
The All Assam Adivasi Students Association gives a 48 hour deadline for the government to clear the whereabouts of 32 protesters who they claim, have been missing from the violence spot on the Shameful Saturday. Earlier, the government asked for the list of those missing protesters to ascertain the veracity of their claim. The AASA have been accusing the government of hiding the dead bodies of the protesters.
The AICC general secretary in charge of Assam Verappa Moily is holding talks with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and senior party members to prepare a detail report on the Beltola violence that could corner the party in Parliament on Monday.A clueless Congress party rushed Mr Moily to Guwahti on Thursday and will submit his findings before the party high command in a day or two.Notably, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee allowed a short but crucial discussion on Assam violence on the floor of the House on Monday.
The screening of the recent mob violence by two satellite TV channels run in to a hail of protest from many quarters in Assam although these channels have yet to react.Minister for health an family welfare Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said a section of media is trying to distort the image of Assam by repeatedly spreading misinformation to the people.“These section of media people have shown stripping a girl protestors in the broadday light but failed to show how an youth threw his shirt at the girl in distress. It justifys the Assamese as a nation have not gone to he hell as has been projected by a section of media.” he said.Meanwhile, the state cable operators are announcing a 24...
he All Assam Adivasi Students Association (AASA) will prevent the political leaders from entering into their areas. And that too in the run up to the panchayat polls.Speaking to Aassam Times, the student body leaders here say the decision has come up following the recent mob violence in Beltola and all political parties are mired in blame game.“Over the years, not even a single political party in Assam have been serious about the problems confronting us for years. They only deceive us by making false promises in the time of elections,” they rue.The leaders her said they will be observing black day across the state on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in protest against the recent...
Amid a watertight security arrangement, seventy five percent voters exercised their franchise in the first phase of polls in the North Cachar Hills district on Monday. The polling was by and large peaceful. No report of any untoward incident has been reported so far. The polling in the hills district began at 7 in the morning and ended at 4 in the afternoon accordingly.The hills district is all set to go to the second phase of polls on December 1.
The city police has picked up three youths from Guwahati on Sunday late night for their alleged involvement in the physical assault on an Adivashi girl protestor in Beltola on Saturday. Police say these three people has already confessed that they undressed the girl which was more shocking in the string of violence on Saturday.
One person died, over 30 injured in the sporadic violence which has marred the 36 hour statewide Assam bandh call by the All Assam Adivashi Students on Monday.According to information, a person died and six injured in Kokrajhar while the Adivashi protestors attacked him with three of his associates. The injured people have been rushed to the hospital. The supporters further set the vehicle on fire.Such reports of mild violence have been reported also in Samoguri in Nagaon, Dhekiajuli, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dibrugagh and Tinsukia districts of upper Assam where the bandh was total.An elaborate security arrangement has averted many major violence across the state. The bandh had no impact in...
Former Jharkahand Chief minister Arjun Munda and JMM leader and former Union minister Sibu Soren on Sunday visited Guwhati and took stock of the situation in view of the mob violence where several people, mostly Adivashi people have been feared killed and more than 150 injured in the city’s Beltola area. Mr Munda, who visited the injured people in the Guwahati Medical College Hospital criticized the Assam government for failing to bring the situation under control.Photo: Arjun Munda, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, taking a note of the health condition of the people that critically injured during yesterday's mass violence at Beltola-Survey area at Guwahati Medical College premises...
Suspected ULFA militants are striking again in Assam on Sunday evening with serial bombings leaving 2 people dead and more than 10 injured in three places. That too at a time when the government has sounded red alert throughout the state from Saturday following the Saturday’s mob violence in the city’s Beltola area.One person died four others injured while two blast took place in the city’s Fatasil Ambari area at 6-15 in the evening. That too within a minute. Both the grenades were planted in two sides footpaths in the same area. The injured peoples have been rushed to the hospital.The third one has rocked in Tinsukia claiming one person and leaving five others injured....