A war of words continues in Sikkim over a proposed hydroelectric power project that endangers the natural ecology and spiritual values of the Dzongu Reserve, the homeland of the Lepcha people. Early last week, news stories in India reported that a White Paper presented by the Sikkim State Government, “Development… Continue reading…
Last week, Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), the citizen pressure group trying to save the sacred Dzongu region of Sikkim from hydropower projects, entered its third year of hunger strikes. The government of Sikkim, a small state in the Himalayas on India’s northern border with Tibet, is planning numerous large… Continue reading…
The Lepcha anti-dam group Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) tried last week to focus voters in Sikkim on the proposed hydropower dams that would destroy the sanctity of the Dzongu reserve. Indian national and state elections will be held in the state of Sikkim today, April 30. Campaigning in the… Continue reading…
The Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) was back in the news last week due to acts of vandalism at a power dam under construction in the Dzongu region of Sikkim. ACT, the group that is leading the opposition by the Lepchas to hydropower dams in their mountains, demanded the unconditional… Continue reading…
Dorjee Tshering Lepcha sits on his floor cross-legged every morning and chants, asking the spirits to forgive him for any intrusions he might make that day against nature. He plays a tune on his flute to welcome the day and to add to the sincerity of his plea in advance… Continue reading…
A conference about dams held in India’s Assam State last week featured a presentation by a Lepcha activist that described the successful campaign against hydropower projects in the Teesta Valley. The two day meeting in Guwahati, a major city in northeastern India, was sponsored by PANOS South Asia, part of… Continue reading…
Young Lepcha activists fighting the destruction of their lands in the Dzongu region of Sikkim have won a major victory. The Indian press reported last week that the state government of Sikkim has agreed to cancel plans for four modest-sized dams in the Dzongu, a region in the north of… Continue reading…
The Lepchas have resumed their hunger strike, protesting plans for a huge power dam on the Teesta River that threatens the integrity of their sacred Dzongu Reserve in North Sikkim. Dawa Lepcha, Tenzing Lepcha, and Gebu Lepcha began the strike on Monday last week. Acting once again under the aegis… Continue reading…
Protests by the Lepchas about the Sikkim government’s plans to build dams which would damage their sacred Dzongu reserve have continued over the past few months. While protesters demonstrate and politicians argue, the first huge dam on the Teesta River, a 510 MW project referred to as Teesta V, is… Continue reading…
Turmoil among the Lepchas, caused by proposed hydropower dams near their communities in northern Sikkim, has increased over the past five weeks. A report on July 18th indicates that the Lepchas in Dzongu are growing increasingly resentful that the government of the Indian state of Sikkim is ignoring their protests…. Continue reading…
