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.
A senior official of a Chennai-based firm has been missing since Sunday from near Kaziranga National Park.
According to police, Ganapat Kumar, a project engineer of Afcon Infrastructure, went missing while he was on his way back to his official residence in the city. His wife had lodged an FIR at Jorhat sadar police station on Monday. Afcon Infrastructure has been operating at various places in Assam including in Cachar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Sivasagar districts in the past couple of years.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday claimed to have improved the state’s law and order front. Replying to the motion of thanks on the floor of the Assam assembly he said the negotiation process with militant groups should go on.
He said that his government can’t wait so much for the presence of ULFA C-in-C Paresh Barua and that the talks should be carried forward. He said,”talks have been started with both the groups of NDFB and other smaller ultra groups and we are keen that the anti-talk faction of the ULFA should also join the process.
In a major sigh of relief, suspected KPLT militants have freed Chief Conservator of Forest Abhijit Rabha and Range Officer Ranjan Barua in Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday.
The duo were freed near a highway at Bokolia in the hills district on Monday midnight. Police rescued them in the wee hours before being taken to a hospital in Diphu for treatment. The abductors had reportedly demanded a ransom of one crore rupee as ransom. The duo were kidnapped on Sunday when they were returning from Sighasan Hills where they had gone with a 60-member delegation, including some Japanese botanists to conduct a forest department survey.
An Aligarh Muslim University-like varsity is likely to be set up in Assam. But the Centre must approve the proposal Dispur sent to Delhi recently.
Disclosing this on the floor of the Assam Assembly on Tuesday, education minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the proposal was made to Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal recently during his visit to Delhi. If the proposal is given the go-ahead, Assam would have a university on the lines of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia, which have been granted the status of minority university.
The Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti on Tuesday urged the Assam government to emulate the chief ministers of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Tamil Nadu and oppose the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
MASS general secretary Dilip Patgiri told said that the proposed NCTC is against the federal structure of the Indian constitution and there is no need for creation of such a body.
He said that Assam did not require any draconian law as most of the militant and separatist groups have come ahead for negotiations with the government.
Chief Conservator of Forests Abhjit Rabha and Ranger Ranjan Baruah were released unharmed at about 1030 hrs IST near Bokoliaghat Forest Range Office last night. What first appeared to be a rumour was confirmed by Bakoliaghat Police. The duo were found approaching Bakoliaghat by forest patrolmen in the morning and brought to the Bakoliaghat Range Office. Superintendent of Police B.B Chetry rushed to Bakoliaghat and escorted them back to Diphu Civil Hospital. Even though declared to be otherwise fit they are yet under physical checkup and are being administered upon.Family members of both the officers are in Diphu with them. Rabha and Baruah accidently fell into the hands of insurgents on...
Leopards are still unleashing terror in among the residents of Guwahati. Local residents in Maligaon area rescued full grown leopard on Sunday.
The full grown leopard was spotted at a deep gorge in Gotanagar in the morning and rescue it. Later, it was handed over to the forest officials.
Normal functionings at the Lepetkota gas cracker project have come to a grinding halt following the workers protest over the CISF firing where one worker died and three others injured. A high level meeting of the Gas cracker officials, district administration failed to break the logjam. On the other hand, Dibrugarh district ATTSA has called for 12 hour district bandh on Monday in protest against the incident.
A NEEPCO owned power transmission tower damaged in Sivasagar district on Sunday when ULFA’S Paresh Baruah faction exploded a powerful bomb.
Three IEDs, weighing nearly a kg, were planted on the power transmission tower and one of them exploded in the morning. The other two IEDs were later defused by the army bomb squad. The tower transmits electricity from Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited's Lakwa Thermal Power Station at nearby Maibella.
Dispur is waiting for Centre’s clearance to carry out joint operations with Arunachal Pradesh against Maoists.
Director General of Police Jayanta Narayan Choudhury said in Jorhat that they had sent reports to the Union Home Ministry and were waiting for its nod to flush out Maoists along with Arunachal Pradesh government from the area.
He said the Maoists were also working with some over ground organisations for fresh recruitment and extortion drive in certain areas of upper Assam.
Comments
Pages
Add new comment