Noted environmentalist Medha Patkar on Wednesday opposed construction of big dams in the North East to save the region from complete destruction. Addressing a huge rally in Guwahati, organised under the aegis of the Kisan Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), she said the rivers must be saved at any cost.
She said the government divided people on the lines of caste and religion but now they are taking the name of development.
According to Patkar, "People want development of rivers, power, aquatic life and people of living on river banks and not just of corporate houses and a section of politicians."
The construction of dams involved scams amounting to several thousands of crore and some corporate houses and politicians were allegedly involved in this, she claimed.
She appreciated KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi for organising the rally and giving a voice to the farmers who would be the worst affected if dams are constructed on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
Patkar, later, fell ill and was rushed to a hospital, while leading a protest march from the Sonaram Field to the Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner's office but her condition was stated to be stable.
Meanwhile, tense situation prevailed near the Deputy Commissioner's Office when more than five thousand protestors gathered to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Deputy Commissioner. The district authorities declared the gathering illegal and asked the crowd to disperse within ten minutes. Akhil Gogoi pointed out that they had applied for necessary permission for holding a dharna at the Dispur Last Gate but was denied following they had sought permission for holding a rally at Sonaram Field and a protest march which was subsequently granted.
PermalinkSubmitted by kkp on Fri, 23/07/2010 - 20:24
@Rongmon Pegu: may be there are less money involves in wind and solar energy than in river and dam to fill the butty of our politicians and corporate houses and dalals.
PermalinkSubmitted by Himadree Buragohian on Fri, 30/07/2010 - 16:37
It is really appreciating for renowned environmentalist Medha Patkar and KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi to come out and protest for the greater welfare of the general masses who are a neglected lot by the Govt as their cries carry no meaning for the politicians and the bureaucrats.Kudos to such leaders pleading for the poor citizens.
PermalinkSubmitted by Molokhu on Sun, 08/08/2010 - 16:11
IN THE NAME OF 'USER RIGHT'
I read the news story “Chinese move on Brahmaputra: Govt action plan on user right”, reported by noted journalist Kalyan Barooah from New Delhi (‘The Assam Tribune’, Page 1; Saturday, July 24, 2010). While being in the Indian Union any small entity, be it a state, a group of people have to be vigilant against powerful forces which influence policy makers and decision takers. Unlike the fringe territories, the central mainland has a huge homogenous population, where from springs a powerful lobby which exhorts power overtly in politics and covertly in economic matters. The scene hasn’t changed much down the centuries.
When Buddhism was gaining popularity in India, the Brahmans came up with an interesting idea to retain power in the socio-economic-political and religious spheres. Gautam Buddha was shown as the ninth avatar of the Hindu mythical god of protection, Vishnu. By inducting such a tricky clause in the Purans and related religious scriptures, the identity of Buddhism as an independent religion was destroyed. Slowly Buddhism lost its grip in ancient India. Persons who constitute different policy making structures like the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) are the neo-Brahmins of modern India.
At a time when anti-dam agitation is taking the form of a mass movement, the CoS has come up with a strategy of major storage project in the three basins (which includes Subansiri, Siang and Lohit) under the disguise of a concept aptly named ‘User Right’. Whether China wants to dam or divert the Brahmaputra is not known. Whether China will or can divert the Brahmaputra is not known. Whether the story of a dam to divert the river by China is a propaganda by a section of Indian media in connivance with the Central and Corporate lobby is not known. But that the Central Governement is hand in gloves with giant corporations to exploit the hydro-power of north-eastern states is an open secret now. These power groups with an eye on profits worth billions and trillions would never sit idle over a so called storage project. Any conscious and thinking person would know what the storehouse would hold for power generators and the massive devastation that a minimal gush of water from such projects can cause downstream.
In the name of major storage project alias ‘User Right’, now India and its corporate masterminds will generate power even more than the stipulated 70,000 MWs to feed its evergrowing greed. In the national forum, mega dams are projected as ‘multi-purpose hydro-projects’. In the international forum, major storage projects will be showcased in the name of ‘User Right’ of India. It’s the formula of “Old wine in New bottle”, to fool north-eastern states and the world.
Despite sharp vigil, Guwahati still remains a transit route of drugs. Security forces seized a huge quantity of brown sugar from the Rajdhani Express in Guwahati on Thursday.The brown sugar worth around Rs 30 lakh was intercepted during a routine check by the Railway Protection Force jawans in the morning. Two persons have been arrested in this connection.
ULFA’s Paresh Baruah faction is fully prepared to strike in Assam despite heavy presence of security forces. A group of heavily armed ULFA militants has been moving in upper Assam. These startling revelations surfaced during police interrogation on Robin Moran, who was captured during an encounter with police in Sivasagar district on Wednesday. Moran, the ULFA militant sustained bullet injury in the encounter along the Assam-Nagaland border. Three other militants managed to escape during the heavy exchange of firing with security forces. On the other hand, ULFA’s Paresh Baruah faction on Thursday alleged that the attack on the ULFA militants was a pre planned and that the...
Hundreds of Left party workers in Rongiya, Bongaigaon and Dhubri blocked trains for several hours in protest against the petrol price hike. CPI, CPM workers in large number spilled to the streets and blocked the train for several hours raising red flags in support of the country-wide bandh call to protest petrol price hike. They said that the recent petrol price hike was totally unjustified and that they would mount pressure on the government to roll back the price hike. They said that petrol price hike was a direct fallout of UPA government's neo-liberal economic policies, which are causing miseries to common people.
Normal life remains totally paralyzed in Assam following the 12 hour-long Bharat Bandh call on Thursday in protest against the petrol price hike. The situation is by and large normal and there is no report of any untoward incident from any part of the state. The bandh began from 6 in the morning across the state where roads are remaining bare with no vehicle plying. Students and teachers are absent from the schools and colleges.
Shops and markets are also remaining closed under the impact of the bandhs that came into force from 6 in the morning. There is report of very few attendance in banks and offices. Train and flight services are normal during this period. Several parties and...
The north east students are all set to launch a massive agitation from June 7 demanding a special constitutional status for the North Eastern states. To decision to launch the joint agitation under t banner of the North East Students’ Organisation was taken at a meeting of the organization in Guwahati n Wednesday.
The first phase of the agitation will be held on June 7 in Guwahati. All the leaders of these students’ bodies will converge in the gateway to the region to make the agitation programme successful. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati after the end of the NESO summit, its chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the general council meeting decided to launch a...
The entire state stuck in panic when astrologers predicted by a massive earthquake on Wednesday. What was more ludicrous that local a TV news channel beamed the story on its prime time show quoting astrologers who also publishes almanac Kalpurush in Assamese. The astrologers claimed possibilities of three major earthquakes, one of them was predicted on Wednesday. The specific time was predicted at 4 in the evening which passed off forcing hundreds of people came out on the streets. Even many offices and schools were closed before their schedule time when the TV channel beamed the story. But the state administration, which claimed to have set up disaster management cell, remained a silent...
Police claimed to have killed a hardcore ULFA militant at an encounter in Sibsagar district on Wednesday.Acting on specific information, a joint team of police and CRPF's Black Cobra forces launched an operation at Namsai area on Tuesday mid-night and an encounter took place early on Wednesday morning. The ULFAmilitant was killed on the spot and combing operations were on the area in search of other militants in the area.The slain militant has been identified as Rabin Moran alias Habindra Moran.
A hardcore NDFB militant was killed in Kamrup district on Wednesday. A hardcore NDFB militant who was involved in several cases of kidnappings and extortions was killed in an encounter with the police at Boko. One pistol have been seized from the slain ultra, who has been identified as Simul Boro.
A group of Congressmen attacked PAC members after it assessed some agriculture and rural development schemes in Nagaon district on Tuesday. The incident took place at the Nagaon Circuit House in the afternoon. A Congressmen team came to the circuit house to meet the PAC members. When permission was denied, the Congressmen attacked the PAC members Chirajuddin Ajmal, Gautom Bora, Prasanta Phukan, Keshab Mahanta, Binanda Saikia, Kamal Singh Narzary. After compliant lodged with DC and SP, police arrested Saiful Islam but did not take action against Nurul Huda and Manik Ali who led the Congressmen.
The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council will announce the results of the HS examination, 2012 on June 4.In a statement issued by the council on Tuesday, the council said that the results of science, arts and commerce streams would be available simultaneously at 11 in the morning in all district headquarters on that day.
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