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.
An inclement weather makes it all the more difficult for BSF and NDRF jawans to fish out bodies of the boat mishap victims in Dhubri on Tuesday.
The day long intensified operation in Medatori ghat and Lakhipur by and large failed to achieve notable success till the evening. But over 200 people are still missing and a section of local residents who came to see the mishap believe that those missing might have met watery grave.
On the other hand, a CCTV new crew led by bureau chief had a narrow escape from heavy storm on the river when they were covering the incident on Tuesday evening. BSF jawans later rescued them from the middle of the river.
The four member Central China...
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday has set up a one man panel to probe the Dhubri boat mishap on Monday.
Addressing a press conference in Dispur on Tuesday, Gogoi said that additional chief secretary Jitesh Khosla will probe the incident. He said that the one man commission would submit the report by the next thirty days.
Grief and anger reigned Dhubri a day after the district witnessed the country’s biggest ever boat tragedy that left over 250 dead.
Thousands of people thronged both sides of the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri and Goalpara districts to see the search operation by BSF and NDRF.
The personal belongings of the victims were seen floating on the river suggesting that over 250 people who could not swim out of the water were dead.
Local residents blamed private ferry operators for running the overloaded boat services flout the official norms.
They said the boat owners do it only to make money. The government figure of casualty is not correct since several bodies were rushed to their...
The Assam government has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs1.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died in the boat tragedy in Dhubri district on Monday. The announcement came from Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who has rushed ministers, medical teams to the spot. Assam Transport Minister Chandan Brahma rushed to the Fakirganj area on Tuesday and took stock of the situation.
Apart from this, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for next of kin of those killed in the boat mishap. Dr Singh, who is in constant touch with Assam Chief Minister, has assured Dispur of all help in the search operation.
Finally Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday allocated portfolios to his parliamentary secretaries. Gogoi keeps Mansingh Rangpi in finance giving home to Sarat Saikia.
Raju Sahu gets Labour and Employment employment while revenue affairs was given to Pradan Baruah. Bidya Singh Engleng was given planning and development. Public Health Engineering has gone to Chandan Sarkar while Jon Jonali Baruah gets Urban Development affairs. Monilal Gowala gets PWD and Sumitra Patir Social gets welfare department. Illias Ali gets irrigation while Maneswor Brahma was tourism department. Jiban Tara Ghatowar was given to health...
President Pratibha Patil and vice president Dr Hamid Ansari have expressed grief over the loss of life in the shocking boat incident on the Brahmaputra river on Monday where over 250 were feared to have met watery grave.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi to convey his condolences and assured the state government of all possible assistance in relief operations and also for assistance from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund to the families of the deceased.
Rescue operations are going on the Brahmaputra riverbed to fish out the bodies a day after an overloaded ferry capsized in Dhubri at the height of a storm that lashed the district on Monday.
BSF and NDRF jawans are on an intensified search operation in the middle of the river where over 250 people are feared dead in the world’s one of the largest boat mishap that took place in Dhubri district on Monday. The search operation has been concentrated mainly on Lakhipur ghat in view of the strong current of the river waters.
According to information available with assasmtimes, over 100 bodies were fished out during the last 15 hours whole as many as 250 others are still missing...
The entire country stands bereaved when over 150 people were feard to have met watery grave on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri on Monday. Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh called up chief minister Tarun Gogoi over telephone and condoled the death of the passengers when the ferry capsized on the river. Assam governor JB Patnike also expressed deep shock over the incident. An inclement weather makes it quite difficult for security forces to carry out search operation on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri where atleast 150 people were feared dead when the ferry carryin over 200 people capsized on Monday.
Over 150 people died when a ferry carrying them capsized on the river Brahmaputra in Dhubri on Monday. The incident took place near the Buraburhi than when the ferry carrying 200 people was on its way to Jaleswar at around 6 in the evening.The ferry capsized at the height of the storm that lashed the district for an hour. Over 70 bodies were fished out. Operation is going on. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi has expressed shocked over the incident and rushed chief secretary to the spot.
ULFA’s anti-talk faction on Sunday comes down heavily on Arabinda Rajkhowa alleging that the chairman was trying to compromise the outfit’s original demand. The outfit asked Rajkhowa to leave the government’s favour. In a statement sent to media on Sunday, the outfit’s publicity leader Aronodoy Dohotia said that sovereignty and independence were not negotiable and that nobody has given Rajkhowa or any one to compromise it. The outfit has asked Rajkhowa to come back to the main body failing which they would fill up the post with constitutional process.
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