The Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur would like to express our concern with the ongoing oil spill and fire at the oil drilling site of the Oil India Limited (OIL) at Baghjan Village in Assam since 27 May 2020. OIL officials failed to control the oil spill as of 10 June 2020. The oil Blowout, or uncontrolled spillage of oil and gas at the oil drilling site has led to displacement of more than 3000 community members in Baghjan Village and surrounding areas and contaminated much of the Maguri-Motapung wetland, part of the eco-sensitive zone of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The oil spill has had an adverse effect on biodiversity of the two eco-sensitive zone.
The Dibru Saikhowa National park is home to at least 36 species of mammals including feral horses and at least 382 species of birds. Locals found a carcass of a Gangetic dolphin, declared as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with its skin peeled in the Maguri wetland. The OIL company has contracted experts from Singapore based Alert Disaster Control to control the oil spill. OIL's seeking help from foreign countries indicates the failure or the lack of capacity of the OIL company to handle major oil spills, which is a concern for indigenous peoples across North East where Jubilant Oil and Gas Pnvate Limited and Oil India Limited are involved in oil exploration and survey works like in Manipur since 2010.
In Manipur, the Oil India Limited (OIL) commenced surveys in Khaidem, Moidangpok, Sangaithel villages in lmphal West district in Manipur since March 2017 without providing any detailed information to the villagers and in absence of their consent. Manipur indeed falls in two of the World's Biodiversity Hotspot, the Eastern Himalayas Biodiversity Hotspot, and lndo-Burma Hotspot and oil exploration and related spills like in Baghjan will entail massive social and environmental impacts. Oil companies downplayed the impacts of oil exploration in Manipur.
The Oil India Limited unleashed human rights violations by contaminating the land and water bodies and by denying the livelihood of communities depending on Rivers and wetlands, such as in Baghjan Area of Assam. The oil exploration moves in Manipur failed to recognise indigenous peoples' rights over their land and resources. The effort to explore and drill oil in Manipur involves a process of disrespect and non-application of human rights-based approach to development, one that recognise Indigenous peoples' rights, more with self-determined development over their land and resources.
The continued oil spill and uncontrolled fire at Baghjan should lead to serious review and rethinking of oil exploration and fossil fuel-based industries pursued aggressively across India's North East. The communities affected by the oil spill should be fully compensated and rehabilitated to restore their livelihood and health. OIL should be held accountability for social impacts and irreparable loss of biodiversity. An investigation should be pursued to prosecute responsible officials of Oil companies involved. The Government should refrain from pursuing unsustainable extractive industries, like oil exploration without recognizing community rights and without taking their consent.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has demands CBI to investigate the recent encounter where two Bodo youths lost their lives in Kokrajhar district at the Lungsung area.
Speaking to the media at Kokrajhar, APCC senior spokesperson Gorjon Mushahary charged the state government with creating a chaotic environment in Bodoland Territorial Region districts by misguiding the administration.
The congress party demands CBI investigation into the encounter in Ultapani forest area and punishment of the responsible parties, as...
Lovlina Borgohain, the Women's boxer from Assam, defeated Chen of Chinese Taipei 4-1 to assure a second Tokyo Olympic medal for India on Friday.
She will play against Turkish boxer Busenaz SURMENELI in the Semifinals August 4.
Watch video of winning moments: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=813783922615822
Lovlina BORGOHAIN advances to quarters in the Women's Welter (64-69kg) beating Germany's Nadine APETZ in the Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday.
She will play Nien-Chin CHEN of Taipei on July 30.
The increase in tiger population in the Manas National Park is a milestone in country-wide tiger conservation efforts. Since peace returned to Manas after a prolonged insurgency, dedicated conservation intervention to secure the population of tigers was in place. The annual monitoring of tigers, co-predators, and prey animals is a prime mandate set by the Government of India to all tiger reserves designated as tigers‟ source population sites. With each passing year, Manas is adorning new feathers to its cap. This time „Manas Tiger Reserve‟ has been successful in a three-fold increase in tiger number in the last ten years (2011-2021). It is worth mentioning that this is an outcome of the...
Guwahati: Violation is human rights has become the order of the day in Assam if the statistics available with the state human rights commission is any indication. During the last one year alone, the commission has registered 81 cases in the state.
Till December 1,2020 the number of cases has gone up to 273 in addition to the pending 108 cases. The commission, however, claimed to have settled 178 cases till October 31, 2020.
In 2019, 317 cases were registered and the total cases with the Commission stand at 491. These include 174 pending cases. According to the commission, they have registered highest 69 cases in Kamrup Metro during this period. Kamrup metro is...
Guwahati: The light has gone off from the life of a political era in Assam. Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is dead. The end came at 3.34 in the evening at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital where he was undergoing treatment of post COVID19 complications. He was 86 and is survived with his wife Dolley Gogoi, son Gaurav Gogoi and daughter Chandrima Gogoi who were around him as he passed away.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was the first to have paid the last respect for Gogoi. A speechless Sonowal said, “I have lost my father.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers from other states have called up Gaurav Gogoi, MP from...
One after another reports of Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-2021 has put BJP and its allies in no less trouble ahead of the assembly pols.
Headed by AGP MLA from Lakhimpur, Utpal Dutta, the committee recommended the government to provincialize the Madrassa schools. That too at a time when education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been publicly advocating the closure of the Madrassa schools from November.
The committee 2021 submitted in the assembly on March 24, 2020 suggesting the government to provincialize the Arabic Colleges, Senior Madrassas, Pre Madrassas, Title Madrassa schools to accelerate literacy rate in the minority dominated...
Guwahati: North East, the abode of immense resources is set to get a fresh lease of life on its economic sector. The engine of economic activities has started changing its track which was tedious over the years. Now it would be faster like never before. Entrepreneurship is going to be the stock in trade of the state’s economic activities in the time of COVID19 endemic.
These are more or less of what Union minister of state for development of north eastern region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh said as he was interacting with a team of officials led by Managing Director Manoj Das of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) accompanied by a group of farmers in...
Stages are set for delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the state before the 2021 assembly polls. State Assembly Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami has set up a panel of legislators to be inducted in the delimitation committee.
In an official notification, Goswami named Golaghat MLA Mrinal Saikia from BJP, Kamalakhya Dey Purikayastha from Congress, Ramendra Narayan Kalita from AGP, Rabiram Brahma from BPF and Hafiz Bashir Ahmed from AIUDF as the members to be inducted in the delimitation panel.
In fact, the process was initiated in 2009 when UPA was in power, and Assam along with a few other northeastern states were left out of the exercise after both...
BJP and its ruling coalition partners would have to pay heavy price in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls if what the experts dealing with the north eastern affairs say are any indication. Veteran journalist Sanjoy Hazarika said the escalating anger might adversely impact the BJP's voter base in the region. Excerpts from the interview with Sanjoy Hazarika, journalist author, and currently Director of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.
AT: How would you justify the seismic wave of protests in the entire north east against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016?
Sanjoy Hazarika: What is there to justify: this is public anger at the Centre for not listening to the concerns of people in the...
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