---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sangharsh 2007 <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 5:43 PM Subject: NAPM condemns Srikakulam firing - Welcomes quashing of environmental clearance To:
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*NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS
*
A Wing First Floor, Haji Habib Building, Naigaon Cross Road
Dadar (E), Mumbai-400 014 Ph. No-2415 0529 E*-mail*:
[email protected] <[email protected]>
*
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*
**
**
*For Immediate Release July 15th, 2010 *
**
*NAPM CONDEMNS BRUTAL KILLINGS AND LATHICARGE ON SRIKAKULAM VILLAGERS *
**
*Welcomes quashing of Sompeta Thermal Plant Environmental Clearance by NEEA
**and SHRC Order calling for withdrawal of police and explanation by
Collector *
**
*Government must scrap PCPIR Proposal and consult people first *
**
National Alliance of People’s Movements strongly condemns the brutal firing
of three villagers and ruthless lathi-charge on hundreds of peaceful
protesters in the Sompeta Mandal of Srikakulm district, resisting the
Thermal Power Project by the Nagarjuna Construction Company, which is to
prove a major threat to the livelihoods of hundreds of farmers, fish workers
and rural artisans and also irreversibly destroy the fragile ecology in the
region.
It is clear that the act of unjust provocation and violence has been the
working of the goons let out by the company and the police administration.
With a situation of life and death confronted by them, yet determined to
save their lands and livelihoods, the people faced the police, but were
subjected to severe lathicharge and many villagers, including women and
leading persons of the struggle like Krishnamurthy, were overpowered by the
police and thrashed on the road. It is also reported that one woman was
molested during the altercation.
Responding to an urgent petition filed before it by S. Jeevan Kumar of Human
Rights Forum, Justice B. Subhashan Reddy of the A.P. *Human Rights
Commission yesterday directed the state administration to immediately
(within 10 minutes) withdraw the** two-thousand strong** police
force*deployed in the area
to silence the people’s voices. It also directed the District Collector to
furnish a detailed report on the entire issue by July 16th. After
yesterday’s killings and brutality, another petition has been filed before
the Human Rights Commission today by NAPM and other groups.
National Convenors of NAPM including Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey and others
activists like Shankar Sharma have strongly reacted to the brutality
unleashed on the nature-based communities and shall visit the area soon to
express solidarity with the people and stand by their side in their
assertion for participatory development and livelihood with dignity. Due to
the SHRC intervention and wide-spread support to the people’s struggle, the
police has dared not detain any one in its custody. Along with many
democratic organizations, NAPM (A.P.) has called for a Dharna at Indra Park
in Hyderabad on 17th July to denounce the indefensible firings and a team
including activists Ramakrishnam Raju, Ajay Kumar and Ratnam shall visit the
place on the 18th July.
The silver lining amidst this dismal scenario is that the National
Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) today quashed the environment
clearance granted to the Sompeta Thermal Power Plant citing “*concealment of
information and non-disclosure with respect to the nature of the land” as
the reasons. *The NEAA also directed that “*no new power project be
approved in the State of Andhra Pradesh till a survey of all wetlands is
completed*”.
When the case was listed before the NEAA yesterday, the atrocities were
immediately brought to its notice, since the firing was on even at the time
of the hearing. Mr. ADM Rao, representing NCC stated that the company was
only trying to ‘demarcate the boundaries’ and assured that he will
immediately direct the company to stop all construction. It is an act of
gross misrepresentation that the agro-rich Sompeta Beela and the surrounding
villages have been shown as a barren, degraded waste land and without
any ecological value.
The people and the locals are deeply anguished by the events, but have
expressed their resolve to strengthen their ‘satyagraha’ and not to budge
even by an inch to give away their lands, their beela and their eco-rich
life system. The statement by the state government that the people should
not come in the way of development is ridiculous and highly unacceptable. *If
development is to flow from the barrel of the gun and be guided by lathis,
resulting only in large scale displacement, destruction of livelihoods and
ecology, threatening agricultural sustainability and food security, is such
development really needed, the people ask? *While on the other hand, the
State is the main cause of the soaring inflation, putting the ordinary
people to intense distress.
It is also unfortunate that leaders of major political parties who did not,
for once, respond meaningfully to the peaceful struggle of the people in
Sompeta for almost two years are now trying to show sympathy on the dead
bodies, which is nothing more than a vote-gathering exercise. It is also a
known fact that the NCC itself, as is the case with many corporate majors,
has strong political links with some of these parties and it could not have
had its way, without political patronage.
*We hope the politicians will not play politics in this hour of pain, but
will use this as an opportunity to realise how faulty development policies
can only lead to social unrest and immediately initiate corrective actions,
cutting across party lines.** One major concern in the state is the proposal
to have hundreds of similar thermal plans and SEZs in the ‘Coastal Corridor’
spread across 9 districts (as part of the PCPIR), which will wreak havoc
across the entire Andhra Coast and displace lakhs of farmers, fish workers
and create irreversible ecological destruction. **NAPM seeks an urgent
political consensus on the PCPIR issue and demands that the entire Project
be scrapped.** ***
*NAPM also demands the State Government to comply with the SHRC Order and
immediately withdraw the police force, stop all land acquisition and
construction activity for the NCC Plant, compensate the deceased families
and the injured, scrap the PCPIR Project and the undertake mandatory
consultation with every Gram Sabhas, before planning and embarking on any
Project. People affected by hydro and thermal plants in various states
across the country are to meet in Bhopal on the 1st and 2nd August and shall
plan to discuss, raise and address the issues related to politics of energy
vis-a-vis people’s development needs. *
*Contact for details: *
Ramakrishnam Raju: 09866787299 (Hyderabad) Madhuresh – New Delhi
(09818905316) Ratnam: 9441319996 (Vishakapatnam) Shrikanth
(09179148973)
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National Alliance of People’s Movements; National Office: Room No. 29-30,
1st floor, ‘A’ Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai
- 400 014;
Ph: 022-24150529
E-mail: [email protected]
Delhi Contact : 09818905316
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