Oil companies engaged in drilling and exploration activities, power projects, coal and cement industries, besides developers of national highway in both public and private sectors have emerged as major environmental violators in the North-east. In a Question Hour discussion on Tuesday, Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan allayed all apprehension over violation of environment norms in construction of dams in the North-east.

Highly critical of being furnished a “half-baked” reply on diversion of waters of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries by China, the standing committee on water resources has once again asked the Water Resources Ministry to compile complete data of major river systems in the country at the earliest.

Guwahati, March 22: The report on the downstream impact of Lower Subansiri project, being prepared by a two-member technical committee constituted by the Centre, has been delayed. Chandrakant Damodar Thatte, former secretary of water resource ministry who heads the committee, told The Telegraph over phone from Pune that the report should have been ready by this time but it had been delayed because of inevitable reasons.

The expert appraisal committee for river valley and hydropower projects has suggested to the Union ministry of environment and forests to rectify the Environment Impact Assessment Notification to include the public consultation in downstream areas. The issue of holding public consultation in the downstream areas has been raised by number of civil society organisations in the Northeast.

Dhubri, March 11: An anti-dam seminar was organised today by Sodou Asom Unnayan Parishad at Gouripur Library Auditorium to air its grievances against the construction of Subansiri dam. The general secretary of the organisation, Amar Rajkhowa, addressed the meeting as appointed speaker. He came down heavily on Dispur and Delhi for their unbending attitude on the dam issue which, of late, has led to protests all over the state.

GUWAHATI, Jan 19 – Voluntary organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) today alleged that the State Government has been deliberately ignoring the experienced ecologists, social scientists and experts on fields connected with the matter while inviting the people for discussion on the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project (LSHEP).

GUWAHATI: Highlighting the grim situation in the north bank of the State where the public has resorted to massive rallies in protest against the construction of the mega hydel power project at Gerukamukh, the State Opposition today brought an adjournment motion on the issue on the first day of the winter session of the Assam Assembly.

From 2014, Madhya Pradesh will start getting 105 MW power from North Lakhimpur, located on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, as the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is coming up with a mega project there.

Madhya Pradesh Power Trading Company Ltd (MPPTCL) signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with NHPC yesterday to source 105 MW energy from August 2014, official sources said here today.

The NHPC project is coming up at Subansiri river lower part, they said.

NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Dec 16 – The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and several other organisations opposing the construction of the mega dam over river Subansiri in Gerukamukh today blocked vehilces carrying construction materials to the NHPC worksite on the outskirts of North Lakhimpur.

Assam government today announced that there was scope for negotiation with persons and organisations opposing construction of a mega dam upstream of Brahmaputra river, reports PTI.

“The government is prepared to talk to anyone on the issue. We love our state as much as they do,” State Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi told reporters here.