Sand mafia terrorising Karimnagar officials మార్చి 16, 2012
Posted by bharath in corruption, Economy, Karimnagar, politics, regionalism, violence.Tags: Ecology, Khajipur, Manair, sand mafia
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Sand mafia terrorising Karimnagar officials
Naveen Kumar Tallam
Express News Service, 16 March 2012
KARIMNAGAR: Despite having knowledge of unabated illegal sand mining, revenue officials in Karimnagar district are able to do only little to check it. They are fearing to stop or seize the sand-laden vehicles as the owners had reportedly formed a syndicate and are maintaining informers. If any police officer or government officials tries to seize vehicles involved in the illegal act, the sand mafia reportedly threatens them. About two months ago, two persons died under suspicious circumstances in Mallaram and Rudraram villages. There are allegations that the sand mafia is behind the murders. (more…)
Tasks for Kishore Chandra Deo, Tribal Minister జూలై 16, 2011
Posted by bharath in Bhadrachalam, conflict resolution, Culture, displacement, Godavari, heritage, Hyderabad, Koya, livelihoods, Polavaram, Vishakapatnam.Tags: bauxite, Chhattisgarh, Eastern Ghats, Ecology, EIA, Konda Reddy, mining, Odisha, PESA
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Among the projects taken up in post-Independent India, Polavaram is perhaps the largest single project that has disrupted the lives of the tribals most. The environment clearance given for Polavaram is not valid as it stands today, as there have been fundamental changes in the design of the project. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs should take the initiative in correcting these statutory violations, if necessary, by approaching the Supreme Court, even at this belated stage. The proposal of Andhra Pradesh to seek ‘national’ status for the current project proposal is merely a ploy to cover up its illegalities. In its current design, the project benefits a few chosen politician-cum-contractors, certainly not the public.
OPINION, Tehelka 16 July 2011
Tasks for the new tribal minister
EAS Sarma
Kishore Chandra Deo has had a long career in Parliament. Here’s a doable and basic manifesto for him as the new minister of tribal affairs
THE RECENT union cabinet reshuffle has its plus points as well as minus ones. One important introduction to the cabinet is that of Kishore Chandra Deo, a senior member of parliament representing the tribal legislators and a person who has been in close touch with the ground reality of the tribal constituency in the Visakhapatnam area he represents. Deo has been at the forefront of cautioning his party on the hasty manner in which industrial projects are being grounded in tribal areas without adequate consultation with the tribals. Now that he has occupied the position of a minister, there are high expectations that he will translate his statements into tangible policy initiatives. What are the challenges that lie before him?
Of course, in general terms, as the Minister incharge of both tribal affairs and panchayati raj, he should take initiatives that will further the interests of the tribals in terms of their constitutional entitlements and, simultaneously, empower the grassroots- level constitutional bodies like gram sabhas, panchayats and tribal advisory councils, especially in terms of enforcement of the PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas). (more…)
Illegal constructions can’t be stalled, only be inspected – Supreme Court on Polavaram ఏప్రిల్ 12, 2011
Posted by bharath in Andhra, Andhrapreneurship, conflict resolution, Culture, displacement, Godavari, heritage, Khammam, Koya, Polavaram, politics, regionalism, Settler, ST, Telangana.Tags: Chhattisgarh, CWC, Dams, Ecology, embankment, Odisha, uphill migration
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SC rejects Orissa plea seeking stay on Polavaram dam construction
Indu Bhan, The Financial Express, Apr 12, 2011
New Delhi: In a setback to the Orissa government, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday rejected its plea to stay construction of the controversial multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project on river Godavari by Andhra Pradesh.
A bench headed by Justice Mukundakam Sharma directed former Central Water Commission (CWC) member M Gopalakrishnan to inspect the project along with the present CWC members and submit a separate reports to it by July 19, which is the next date of hearing.
The Bench, however, refused to entertain the plea of the Orissa government’s senior counsel Raju Ramachandran to stop the work by saying that “it will be difficult for us to stay the construction at this stage”.
It further observed that the project can be demolished later if it was found to be built in violation of environmental norms. (more…)
Chhattisgarh govt to oppose Polavaram dam at all levels మార్చి 19, 2011
Posted by bharath in Bhadrachalam, Godavari, Gond, heritage, Identity, Koya, livelihoods, Polavaram, politics, population.Tags: adivasi, backwater, Chattisgarh, CWC, dam, displacement, Ecology, embankment, floods, Konta, Public Hearing
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Chhattisgarh to hold public hearing on Polavaram irrigation project
Statesman News Service, 16 March 2011 The Statesman
RAIPUR, 16 March: Following strong objections realised against a planned Polavaram irrigation project by neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on the Godavari, Chhattisgarh today confirmed that the Centre has asked it to hold a public hearing on the issue.
“Union minister for forest and environment Mr Jairam Ramesh has agreed to hold a public hearing over Polavaram irrigation project after Chhattisgarh government strongly placed the case before him,’’ an official statement said. (more…)
AP Misguiding Centre on Polavaram – M Dharma Rao సెప్టెంబర్ 29, 2010
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Bhadrachalam, conflict resolution, Economy, Godavari, Koya, livelihoods, Polavaram, ST.Tags: displacement, Ecology, irrigation, Krishna
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AP misguiding Centre on Polavaram: Forum
September 29th, 2010
DC Correspondent
Visakhapatnam, Sept. 28: Observing that the mammoth Rs 8,000 crore Polavaram project was a venture to submerge more than 2,00,000 people and over 300 habitations, members of the National Forum Against Polavaram Dam (NFAPD) resolved to stall the project and expose the alleged lies spoken by the state government concerning the issue.
Addressing a gathering of engineers and mediapersons, here on Tuesday, convenor of the organisation Mr Badal Kumar Tah said, “The project must be stalled as in its present form, no consent has been taken from people of affected areas and neighbouring states (Orissa and Chhattisgarh).
Speaking on the project in its present form, Mr M. Dharma Rao, retired chief engineer, said that the state government was not being honest about facts concerning the project and was attempting to misguide the Centre on the issue. Speaking about the construed data on the project, Mr Bharat Bhushan, co-convenor of NFAPD, observed that the state government was presenting a wrong picture. (more…)
Parched Telangana, several towns reeling under drinking water crisis దాహం దాహం ఏప్రిల్ 21, 2010
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Culture, Economy, politics, population, Telangana.Tags: drinking water crisis, Ecology, irrigation
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Water drying up in major irrigation projects of T
Several Towns Reeling Under Severe Drinking Water Crisis
Raghu Paithari | TNN Times of India, 22 April 2010
Nizamabad: Shrinking water levels in various irrigation projects in Nizamabad district have set the alarm bells ringing not only among the farmers and common public of the entire Telangana region but also the district authorities.
While the officials have attributed it to scanty rainfall and lack of floods in river Godavari, experts believe construction of small and medium irrigation projects across the Godavari and Manjeera in Maharashtra and Karnataka has led to drying up of several irrigation projects in Nizamabad.
Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP), considered as the lifeline of Telangana region, is reeling under severe water scarcity. “It’s not in a position to even supply drinking water to Metpalli, Korutla and Jagityal towns in Karimnagar district and Nirmal in Adilabad district,” a senior official said. Ironically, all these towns are located close to the project site or its canals. (more…)
Gujja Biksham – India’s Water man మార్చి 13, 2010
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Articles, Deccan, Godavari, Hyderabad, Manjira, Polavaram, politics, Telangana.Tags: agriculture, Ecology, Gujja Biksham, irrigation, personality
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The Hindu, March 12, 2010 Life & Style
A man of ideas
Serish Nanisetti
Gujja Biksham is a man who marshals information to push the envelope of ideas. Serish Nanisetti discovers more about the man with ideas about water
You can be taken in by a man by three things: Appearance, impressions and ideas. It is easy to grasp the import of the first two qualities, but to know the third quality you have to sit down and wrestle. Gujja Biksham is one such person. He can easily be called the water man of India considering his immense contribution to the study of ebb and flow of life. A man who knows, researches and understands water: The source of life that is increasingly going to be in short supply. “Water is my turf,” says Biksham, who is a policy advisor of Fresh Water Program at WWF-International. Hailing from Turpugudem in Nalgonda where his mother still lives, Biksham knows what is agriculture and what is water. Currently he is associated with Icrisat-WWF collaborative project. “In the 80s it was discovered that tiger conservation cannot happen in isolation. Sustainable development and ecological balance became the buzz words and that’s how I got involved with WWF,” says Biksham who has been with the organisation working from Switzerland for the past 18 years. Discovering the fact that water is the key to conservation, WWF wanted someone with specialisation in water and Biksham came into the picture. (more…)
Union Minister realises river-linking is disastrous – Future of Polavaram project? అక్టోబర్ 8, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Bhadrachalam, Congress, Godavari, Koya, Polavaram, politics, TDP, Telangana, TRS.Tags: Dams, Ecology, Krishna
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Interlinking of rivers buried, Jairam says idea a disaster
New Delhi, October 6, 2009 Express News Service
Less than a month after Rahul Gandhi warned against “playing with nature”, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said the idea of interlinking India’s rivers was a “disaster”, putting a question mark on the future of the ambitious project.
“The interlinking of rivers will be a human-ecological-economic disaster. It is easy to do interlinking on paper. Interlinking of rivers has limited basin value, but largescale interlinking would be a disaster,” Ramesh said at a press briefing today.
In Chennai last month, Rahul had expressed concern over the environmental fallout of interlinking. “We should not play with nature on such a massive scale,” he was quoted as saying.
The remark drew flak from UPA ally DMK, which reminded Rahul that it was Indira Gandhi who set up the National Water Development Agency in 1982 to study the possibility of water transfers from surplus basins to deficit areas. DMK chief M Karunanidhi pointed out that UPA-I’s 2004 National Common Minimum Programme had promised “a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of linking of rivers… starting with south-bound rivers”.
Asked about the party’s stand on the issue, the Congress remained non-committal. “It is a larger issue. It is not a magic wand. There is an awesome scale of interlinking. It is a super long term solution, and not a medium or short-term solution,” spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
“I don’t think anybody is rejecting or accepting it. After 25 years of considerable expenditure, you may still have the same problem. Unless you are sure, you can’t embark on it. It is a project with extremely multifarious aspects and the jury is out,” Singhvi said.
The Interlinking of Rivers programme has had a peninsular focus, and five links have been identified as priority. A group headed by the Central Water Commission chairman has had seven meetings in the past five years: one for the Ken-Betwa link, three for the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link, one for the Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada) link, and two for the Par-Tapi-Narmada and Damanganga-Pinjal links taken together.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/interlinking-of-rivers-buried-jairam-says-idea-a-disaster/525654/1
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Jairam’s statement on ‘hazards’ of linking rivers draws flak
BASHIR PATHAN
Express India, Oct 07, 2009
Gandhinagar: Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh’s statement that “the interlinking of India’s rivers will be a human-ecological-economic disaster” has drawn flak from the Gujarat government.
“I agree with the Union Minister that it is not that easy to implement river-linking projects, as it involves huge costs. But, I would not agree that such projects would prove disastrous”, said Gujarat Water Resources Minister Nitin Patel. (more…)
Man- made Floods devastate AP & Karnataka అక్టోబర్ 6, 2009
Posted by Telangana Utsav in Gadwal, Mahabubnagar, politics.Tags: Dams, Ecology, floods, Krishna, Kurnool
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Were the southern flash floods avoidable?
Max Martin and A. Srinivasa Rao
Bijapur and Hyderabad, October 6, 2009 India Today
The death toll from the floods crept up to 227 in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka amid blame games between the states. But what underscores the extent of the disaster is the fact that it cannot be relegated to the realm of natural calamities and forgotten.
Experts have unanimously called it manmade and have blamed the floods on the poor coordination among Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Experts said irrigation engineers, who control the release of water from dams, have little understanding of what goes on upstream, midstream or downstream.
Leo Saldanha, Bangalore-based environmentalist and director of Environment Support Group (ESG), said it was “criminal” to keep dams full and release water during heavy rains.
Initially, both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka blamed each other for “irresponsible” flood management. Officials in the Andhra Pradesh irrigation department said Karnataka should have alerted them about the flow in Almatti and Narayanpur dams in upstream Krishna.
They said the neighbouring state should not have released water from the two dams. On the other hand, Karnataka officials said the Andhra officials did not release water from the Srisailam dam in Kurnool district till the eleventh hour. This, they claimed, flooded Kurnool and areas in the reservoir’s backwaters. (more…)
