http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/A-Nuclear-Flashpoint/articleshow/5161618.cms
A Nuclear FlashpointAchintyarup Ray, TNN 26 October 2009, 04:53am IST Not every car is welcome to the village of Haripur. So, as soon as you steer right from Junput More near Digha Bengal's popular sea resort your vehicle is surrounded by a group of enquiring villagers who want to know your identity; their searching eyes scan inside the car. If you try to ignore them and venture along the mud road atop the sea dyke, conch shells start blowing from roadside houses, and hundreds of people come running from the villages to block your way. Tension is mounting with every passing day at this coastal hamlet of East Midnapore some 160 kilometres from Kolkata and not too far from Nandigram. It was only around a week ago that they came to know that the central government has finally given the nod to set up a nuclear power plant at Haripur. Around 10,000 villagers two-thirds of them fishermen are now gearing up to prevent any move of the government to acquire land for the project, to be built on an area of 15 square kilometres. They have decided not to allow into the village anybody who comes with an intention of surveying the land before setting up the plant. In November 2006 even before bullets started flying in Nandigram these villagers had forced a team from the department of atomic energy (DAE) to return without entering the village. Thousands had gathered behind barricades put up on the sea dyke to stop officials from proceeding to Haripur. This time too, they have vowed to do the same. "It's a do-or-die battle," said Debashis Shyamal, convener of the Haripur Paramanu Bidyut Prakalpa Protirodh Andolan (movement to resist nuclear power plant at Haripur). "The villagers know that they have no other option but to resist," he added. Shyamal's colleague Sujoy Jana said: "The project will affect at least 10,000 people, 80% of them dependent on fishing. At least five khotis' (fish unloading points) which yield a business of Rs 15 crore per annum, will have to be removed. If the project finally happens, no less than 10 villages will be affected. And apart from proximity to the sea, the land here is quite fertile. The main agricultural produce of the area include paan and tomato." On October 16, the Centre awarded the contract to build the Haripur power station to the Russian state-owned firm Atomstroyexport. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is planning to begin the civil construction work by 2010. "We will start work on the project as soon as possible," said Sudhinder Thakur, executive director, corporate planning, NPCIL. "But the project has just been announced by the government and we are yet to work out the details. A lot of things will have to be done now. One of the most important things is to get in touch with the state government for the land," Thakur told TOI from Mumbai. "The villagers are counting moments. We have news that an official team will come for a recce very soon. But we are on alert and won't let them enter the village," said Shyamal. "The fishing season has started and all these activities will hamper our business," he said. Will the villagers move away if they are paid enough compensation? Shyamal smiles. "Will the government be able to give us a sea? Every person in this village is dependent on the sea. No monetary compensation will be enough for them," he says. The state land and land reforms department is blissfully unaware of the developments. "Nuclear plant? What nuclear plant? I don't have any information regarding that," said Abdur Rezzak Mollah, the minister in charge of the department. Local Trinamool Congress, however, is in a fix. During the 2006 movement, Trinamool leader Subhendu Adhikary led the anti-nuclear plant agitation in Haripur. But this time, the decision to set up the plant has been taken by a government of which his party is the second largest constituent. Subhendu, however, put up a brave face. "Whatever be the decision of the government, I will be with the villagers. We won't allow them to be evicted," he said. But his father, seasoned politician Sisir Adhikary (who is also the Union minister of state for rural development) rubbished all these "claims" made by the media. "The Centre has not taken any such decision. It's a CPM conspiracy. Whatever you people are writing is planted by that party," he said. CPM's East Midnapore district unit leader and former MP Prashanta Pradhan was not surprised with the Trinamool stand. "Everybody knows that they are against industry be it in Singur or Nadigram or Salboni or Nayachar or Haripur. Trinamool will always throw a spanner in the project. Our party, however, will always fight for industrialization, for industry," he said. But whatever the leaders say, the people of Haripur have already decided to launch an agitation. The Haripur Paramanu Bidyut Prakalpa Protirodh Andolan is mobilising them. As a first step, they are sending postcards to the Prime Minister, with a message in protest against the move to set up the nuclear plant. The organisation is also seeking support from all sections of people across West Bengal, including NGOs, environmentalists and intellectuals. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
