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 home ministry team visited Dhubri to take stock of the prevailing law and order scene in the district in the wake of the spreading ethnic clash. Led by home ministry’s joint secretary attached to the north eastern region, Sambhu Singh the team left for Dhubri at 12-30 in the afternoon from Guwahati with a group of high level officials of para military forces. The team reviewed the situation with senior civil and police officials during the day long visit.
Three persons died and several others have been injured at an incident of landslide on the National Highway leading to Shillong on Thursday. The incident took place in Byrnihat at around 5 in the morning when two trucks and a hut were covered with mud on the roadside. Meghalaya policemen rushed to the spot and rescued some of people.
The injured people have been sent to the hospital. The entire portion has been undergoing expansion work. Meanwhile, the landslide has resulted in a huge traffic snarl to and from Guwahati.
A magistrate was seriously injured on his stock taking visit to Kokrajhar on Thursday. The incident took place in the morning when circle officer Bipul Saikia was on the way to inspect the refugee camp in Kokrajhar. All of a sudden, unidentified miscreants started pelting stones at his vehicles leaving him seriously injured. His vehicle was also damaged in the incident.
Assam governor Janaki Ballav Patnaik has appealed to the trouble mongers to abandon the path of violence in any form and work for the promotion of peace, amity; communal harmony. Patnaik, who is currently in Delhi has expressed his deep shock at the on going strings of disturbances in Kokrajhar and Chirang where 41 people lost their lives.
In a statement, he stated that the growth, progress and prosperity of the people are totally dependant on the maintenance of peace, amity and good neighborliness’ among all communities.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is on a stock taking visit to Kokrajhar on Thursday five days after the ethnic clash claimed 42 people in BTAD areas. Gogoi, who flew on helicopter from Guwahati reached the trouble torn Kokrajhar at 11 in the morning and met senior civil, police and para military officials.
He further visited a few refugee camps to oversee the relief measures in the district. Significantly, he skipped his proposed visit to Gossaigaon during his day long visit to BTAD areas. Over two lakh people from 400 villages are living in some 120 relief camps after moving out of the violence hit areas.
Fresh orgy of clashes reported in Bagsa where three people have been on Thursday. The incident took place in Bennabari area under Musolpur police station where three persons have been shot at in the wee hours. They have been rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, 13 columns of the Army have been deployed in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Dhubri and Bongaigaon. Idefinite curfew and shoot-at-sight orders are also in place in these four districts that are most affected by the violence.
Assam chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is visiting the Kokrajhar, the worst-hit in the ethnic clash where over 25 people were killed during the last five days. Gogoi is leaving for Kokrajhar in the morning where he is scheduled to hold a high level meeting of army, police and civil heavyweights. Apart from this, Gogoi is scheduled to visit a few refugee camps in the district where displaced people are pouring in. Meanwhile, five cabinet ministers are camping in the trouble torn areas to monitor the situation.
Army on Thursday claimed to have partially brought the situation under control in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. There is no report of any fresh orgy of clash during the last 12 hours. Meanwhile, passenger and goods trains services had partially resumed on Wednesday evening and the delayed trains were expected to resume their journey with the ‘improvement’ in the situation.
Earlier a total of 30 passenger trains and 20 goods trains carrying grains and medicines were stranded along a thin passage that connects Assam from rest of India.
The ethnic flare up forces thousands of people in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri to flee to north Bengal. These people, mostly, taking shelter in Alipurduar. But road transport in the West Bengal border district was severally hit near Kumargram area in Jalpaiguri district after borders areas were sealed.
A 12-year-old girl was admitted to the Alipurduar Hospital after being shot at by the miscreants on Wednesday.
Amarjyoti Kalita was brought back to Guwahati a day after Assam police got five days transit remand of the main accused in the GS Road case. A three member team led by senior police officer Ranjan Bhuyan, landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in the evening. He was straightly rushed to the Panbazar police station where the special investigation team set up to probe the case start interrogating him in this connection. He was handed over to Assam police in Varansi on Tuesday when he was produced before a local court.
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