Hydro projects under 25 MW enjoy a free hand because they are believed to have the least negative impact on the environment among the various methods of harnessing water energy. But the adverse socio-economic, cultural and ecological impacts of such projects are often ignored
The West Bengal government has proposed two hydro-electric projects–a 12 megawatt (MW) project on Chhota Rangit and a 6 MW one on Balawas. Locals in Bijanbari and Pullbazar fear the projects will endanger their way of life.
Bengal s Hills Grow Tense as Pre-Poll Politics Upends Old Equations
From a demand for statehood to a reckoning of how far the region has come under Mamata Banerjee, a long look at the politics that still dominates the hills.
Posters of GJK (2) faction (as in this photo) are seen in much greater numbers than those of GJM (1). Photo: Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Aiyo, BJP
aiyo,” shouted a band of party supporters, dancing to the tune of traditional Tamang community music, as they waited for Union home minister Amit Shah in Kalimpong. The phrase, which means ‘here comes BJP’, along with the âJai Gorkhaâ, ‘Narendra Modi zindabad,’ and âJai Shree Ramâ chants kept interrupting the music from time to time.