NORTH LAKHIMPUR

The deterioration of the flood scene in Lakhimpur district following release of excess water from the Ranganadi dam has once again raised serious questions over the viability of mega hydel projects without assessing their downstream impacts as also the very idea of constructing such projects on the Himalayan biodiversity zone. "The Centre's grandiose plans of generating hydro-electricity through big dams in Arunachal Pradesh completely ignore the immense dimensions of the issues involved.

Over 60 trains had to be cancelled, 40 diverted and many other short-terminated under the East Coast railway zone after the deluge in the Howrah-Chennai main line. Traffic was hit on highways and other roads due to breaches caused by gushing water. Relief operations continued on war-footing in flood-ravaged districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur and Kendrapara where about 11.4 lakh people in over 1,000 villages were affected. The state Government has released Rs 25 crore to four departments to start repair and restoration activities in flood-affected areas. West Bengal

Anand Sankar The 'thwack' of axes hitting wood and the periodic grinding of saws is audible as one enters the village of Sunapur in Lakhimpur district in Assam on the banks of the River Subansiri. Here on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, there is no jungle but there are trucks on the river embankment loaded with timber and men busy working away with wood. This is the beginning of the river Subansiri's journey into the plains flowing down from the hills of Arunachal Pradesh which is damming the river for a hydel power project.

THE latest news from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) points out that all the warnings and pleading of conservationists have gone unheeded, and the world has lost nearly one-third of its bird species. India, rich in birdlife, has been particularly badly hit. In the IUCN Red List for 2008 for birds, India has the largest number of threatened species. A combination of factors has led to this pass

The States of north-eastern India demand their share of the development pie. PTI Union Minister for the Development of the North-Eastern Region Mani Shankar Aiyar (centre) with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar (third from left), his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga (right) and Manipur counterpart Okram Ibobi Singh (extreme right), along with other members of the NEC in Agartala on May 12, the day before the signing of the vision document.

SHILLONG

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday blamed the public-sector North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) for the flash floods in Lakhimpur district of eastern Assam on Saturday. NEEPCO had released water from its Ranganadi hydel project dam in Arunachal Pradesh without any warning.

TEZPUR