[Reader-list] Statement Against Police firing on Protestors inJaitapur, Maharashtra

[Prakash K Ray]

Shashi ji, those need energy should donate their land to the governments. I
will not let them steal my land. Massive debates have been done over the
issue. Now the time is to take a stand. You choose yours. I have chosen
mine.

prakash

JOIN US
FOR
A
PROTEST DEMONSTRATION
AGAINST
THE POLICE FIRING IN JAITAPUR, MAHARASHTRA
AT
JANTAR MANTAR
11.30 AM
21ST APRIL, 2011, THURSDAY
ANTI-NUCLEAR STRUGGLES’ SOLIDARITY FORUM


On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 12:21 PM, Shashidhar <
shashidhar at butterfliesindia.org> wrote:

> Putting my views on paper, please also do take up the issue of how can one
> produce electricity in our nation if people are opposed to Hyro, thermal,
> nuclear, wind, solar, fuel cell.
>
> Will it be ok for people to live without electricity, how will one run
> hospitals, transport, communication, water pumps and many more things.
> Agreed nuclear is dangerous, but please do engage with people and ask them
> how we can produce more electricity. Do also tell them of the lesser than
> 10% efficiency of solar, wind power generators and the huge tracts of land
> which need to be covered to produce a single watt, there have been many
> efforts from the government especially in Maharashtra, offering concessions
> for people installing solar heaters in farms and home, none have used these
> especially because they are inefficient.
>
> Clean energy is an area where our government does not invest anything at
> all, if they were to invest the 1000's of crores they are spending on the
> jaitapurplant in research and decentralised micro electricity projects which
> are the complete responsibility of the community things would be very much
> different. Captive production is still not allowed and many industries are
> forced to draw power from the State electricity boards.
>
> Regards,
>
> Shashi
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net]
> On Behalf Of Prakash K Ray
> Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 11:01 AM
> To: reader-list at sarai.net
> Subject: [Reader-list] Statement Against Police firing on Protestors
> inJaitapur, Maharashtra
>
> *Several citizens groups and people’s organizations will be demonstrating
> against the police firing and the myopic promotion of nuclear energy on 21st
> April at 11.30 AM at Jantar Mantar. *
>
> *Statement Against Police firing on Protestors in Jaitapur, Maharashtra*
>
> *New Delhi, Dt. 19th April, 2011*
>
> ***-*
>
> We, the undersigned individuals and organizations condemn the Maharashtra
> Police firing on protestors who were demonstrating against the proposed
> Nuclear Power Park at Jaitapur, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
>
> -
>
> The corrupting influence of the nuclear companies over the political
> parties has been revealed in the Indo-US nuclear deal. These are the same
> political players who had played dubious roles during struggle against Enron
> power plant.
>
> This incident happened at the protest which was organized against the Union
> Environment Minister’s statement saying, come what may the Nuclear Park will
> be built in Jaitapur and Prime Minister’s consistent advocacy for nuclear
> energy unmindful of the tragic incident in Japan.
>
> -
>
> In the police firing on 18th April, 2011, one person died and 8 others were
> seriously injured. This firing should not be seen in isolation. For the past
> one year, the government of Maharashtra has unleashed a reign of terror in
> the entire Jaitapur area against farmers, fishing folks and other rural
> artisans who have launched a non-violent and protracted democratic struggle
> against snatching away of their land, livelihood and the imminent
> catastrophe from the proposed Nuclear Power Park.
>
> -
>
> We oppose any forcible acquisition of land against the wishes of the local
> farmers.
>
> The high-handedness of Maharashtra State Government has been evident for
> the last four years. A local Konkani activist Vaishali Patil and even other
> prominent Konkan and Maharashtra residents like Retd. Admiral L. Ramdas and
> Retd. Supreme Court Justice P B Sawant were arbitrarily declared out of
> bounds from Ratnagiri District.
>
> -
>
> This is a flagrant violation of democratic rights. This is clear example of
> stamping out the right to protest which is one of the sacrosanct
> constitutional rights in the country. It should be noted that Mr. Narayan
> Rane, the State Revenue Minister who also hails from the Konkan region has
> been going around Jaitapur area and threatening everyone who protests
> against the proposed Nuclear Power Park. Mr. Rane has also openly given a
> call to local Indian National Congress cadres to forcibly drive out the
> activists who are protesting against the Nuclear Power Park.
>
> -
>
> We are seriously concerned about Shiv Sena’s role in provoking the tragic
> incident. Motivated hooliganism and strong arm tactics of Shiv Sena is a
> well known phenomena which often dissipates the possibility of peaceful
> democratic protests. This provides the logic to the administration for
> Police repression and vilifying peaceful mass protests. Shiv Sena’s
> opportunism in the Anti- Enron Struggle in the 1990s is well known.
>
> -
>
> We disapprove of such rank opportunism of these political outfits which
> attempts to divert the studied pace and direction of the ongoing struggle
> against the Nuclear Power Park in the Ratnagiri district against the
> proposed Nuclear Power Park for the past 4 years, but Congress Party’s
> partisan role and Shiv Sena’s unwarranted entry into the struggle has
> vitiated the atmosphereThe people of Jaitapur are carrying out .
>
> -
>
> In the aftermath of the nuclear accidents in Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
> and Fukushima, a stark rationale for the abandonment of nuclear energy has
> emerged. In a situation where admittedly public health infrastructure is
> non-existent to deal with the inevitable event of nuclear emergency,
> promotion of nuclear commerce cannot be approved.
>
> We disapprove of nuclear energy in such a context where countries after
> countries are abandoning or doing a rethink about this option.
>
> * *
>
> *-*
>
> *Therefore, we demand*
>
>   - *Scrapping of the proposed nuclear plant in the Ratnagiri district and
>   other states in the country*
>   - *Judicial Enquiry into the incident of police firing on 18th April  *
>   - *Strong action against the district officials and the Police officers
>   who ordered the police firing on the protesters*
>   - *Immediately withdraw the false cases against the activists, the
>   villagers and rescind the externment orders *
>
> *Several citizens groups and people’s organizations will be demonstrating
> against the police firing and the myopic promotion of nuclear energy on 21st
> April at 11.30 AM at Jantar Mantar. *
>
> * -*
>
> *Endorsed by *
>
> Chittaranjan Singh, INSAF/ PUCL
>
> Anil Chaudhary
>
> Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance
>
> Kiran Shaheen, Media Action Group
>
> Susan Abraham, FORRAD
>
> Prakash K. Ray, www.bargad.org
>
> P T George, Intercultural Resources
>
> Benny Kuruvilla, Focus on the Global South
>
> Preeti Sampat
>
> Prem Piram, JAGAR
>
> Amit Mahanti, Frame Works Research & Media Collective
>
> Asit, Delhi Platform
>
> Shree Prakash, MISAAL
>
> Sandeep Singh, AISA
>
> Wilfred D’ Costa
>
> Soumya Dutta, Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha
>
> Priya Pillai, Greenpeace
>
> Sundaram P.
>
> Prafull Bidwai, CNDP
>
> Kavita Krishnan, Central Committee Member, CPI (ML) Liberation
>
> Mona Das
>
> S. Lahiri, NFFPFW
>
> National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements (NAPM)
>
> Popular Education and Action Centre (PEACE)
>
> Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF)
>
> Coalition on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP)
>
> Delhi Forum
>
> Programme for Social Action (PSA)
>
> Aruna Roy
>
> Nikhil Dey
>
> Rajendra Ravi, IDS
>
> *
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *
>
> *Contact detail:*
>
> *A-124/6, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016*
>
> *Ph: 011-65663958, 26517814,*
>
> *9212587159 (Seela), 9818111562 (Ramesh)*
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