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.
Amid chaos and confusion, the Assam government on Friday put the official toll in Monday's ferry capsize in Brahmaputra river here at 35 and said 42 passengers were reported missing.Dhubri Deputy Commissioner Kumud Chandra Kalita formally released the list of dead and missing people in the tragedy at Medartary ghat. Among the dead are 11 children and 12 women. In the list of those registered missing there are 14 children and 12 women. He said that two more bodies were fished out today, one each by locals and the BSF. Search operations are on. Official sources had put the number of dead on the day of the mishap at 103. Nine bodies were fished out by divers till now. The unofficial figure of...
Robust Network, Dimapur in collaboration with The Indian Council For Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, successfully organised a grand Cultural Show titled Horizon Series Cultural Programme to commemorate the 8th Bamhum Day with performances by various artistes on May 3 from 6.30 pm at Soul Speak Studios Hall, Nuton Bosti, Dimapur. The first artiste to perform was Achen Imchen, a top six finalist of the 1st Naga Idol performed two of his indigenous songs who also played the Bamhum during the solo breaks.
The next to go onstage was Abiogenesis, a band empanelled by Indian Council For Cultural Relations (ICCR) and has been sent by ICCR to Myanmar...
At least 7 people died when devastating storm lashed Dhubri and Barpeta on Friday. The storm lashed Dhubri district in the wee hours leaving six people dead in the worst-hit area of Fakiraganj where atleast 20 villages were ravaged. There is report of storm that lashed Barpeta district. The storm that lasted for an hour left hundreds of houses collapsed in Bajali and Pathsala. Surface communicationhas been left he
Thirteen more bodies boat mishap victims have been fished out of the river Brahmaputra on Thursday. Of the bodies, 12 were found during the day and on Wednesday night.
The bodies were found at Mundiya and Jogomaya downstream in the Brahmaputra river from Medartary ghat where the double-decker ferry capsized.
Dhubri district administration and its counterpart in Kurigram, Dahikhawa and Yatrapur districts of Bangladesh would concentrate on some major points of the river where bodies could be washed ashore in view of the strong current of the Brahmaputra.
BGB and Kurigram district officials said that so far not a single body has been recovered from their side. People in Kurigram district...
Bangladesh will help India fish out the bodies of the boat mishap victims on the river Brahmaputra three days after an overloaded boat sank in Dhubri. The assurance during a flag meeting between BSF and BGB in Dhubri on Thursday. Dhubri KC Kalita who attended the meeting asked for help and cooperation from the Bangladesh side in retrieving bodies that may have been washed downstream.
The flag meeting took place at Sonarhat along the Indo-Bangla border between the Border Security Force and the Border Guards Bangladesh in which senior district and police officers from Dhubri and Kurigram district of Bangladesh participated.
Both sides jointly identified two villages in Kurigram...
The Bombay high court has warned Bhidan Barua that he cannot use pressure tactics and threaten to commit suicide unless his petition was heard and orders passed immediately. The court summoned the counsel of the 21-year-old student from Guwahati, Ejaz Naqvi after the student wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of the Bombay high court and other authorities threatening to commit suicide if his petition was not heard immediately.
In the petition, Bhidan, who feels he is a woman trapped in man's body, has urged the court to restrain his parents from prohibiting him to undergo sex change operation.
Following the summons from the court, Naqvi appeared before Justices SJ Vazifdar and AR...
A conglomeration of around 45 Bodo organizations calls a 36-hour state-wide strike has been called from May 7 to intensify the demand for a separate Bodoland.
According to the leaders, forty-five groups representing tribal and non-tribal communities have joined the movement.
They said that with so many communities joining them, the Bodoland demand has become one of masses in Bodo dominated areas.
The PJACBM has called for a 36-hour strike on May 7. On May 18, there will be district demonstrations. On May 25 national highways will be blocked for 12 hours.
Local residents at Medartary in Dhubri fished out five more bodies out of the river Brahmaputra on Thursday morning three days after an overloaded boat sank in the river. However, BSF and NDRF jawans are continuing search operation on the river.
The three bodies were recovered from Jogomaya area which is some distance downstream from the mishap site of Medartary ghat.
The death toll is likely to climb as the chances of finding anybody alive are very remote after 65 hours of the boat tragedy took place.
The ferry, which operated without a licence, was carrying more than 350 persons, including a large number of women and children.
An Assam government official was killed after he was kidnapped by unidentified miscreants from Bongaigaon district on Thursday night.
The incident took place when armed miscreant took away Gadapani Pathak and Faijul Islam from Boitamari after halting their Bolero car on Wednesday night.
The miscreants left the driver after severally assaulting him. The injured driver Nur Islam was rushed to local hospital. After the abduction case, police had launched a search operation to trace the abducted persons.
Local people found a body near Boitamari and later he was identified as Gadapani Pathak. They came to recover the body hours after the vehicle was found. Search is on for Faizul Islam...
Senior Border Security Force officials discussed recovery and repatriation of the boat mishap victims that took place in Dhubri on Monday.
BSF official held the flag meeting along the Indo-Bangladesh border on Thursday where BSF was assured full support from the BDG. Notably, several bodies were learnt to have been spotted on the river Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Senior Assam government officials also attended the flag meeting. They included Dhubri Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Dhubri and their counterparts of Bangladesh.
The Centre has been in touch with the Bangladesh government to recover bodies of victims of the Brahmaputra boat tragedy that may have been...
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