[Reader-list] Jaitapur – Road named in Nate in memory of the late Tarbej

[asit das]

*Jaitapur – Road named in Nate in memory of the late Tarbej*

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18th April 2011, exactly one year ago the people’s expression of anger
against the proposed 9900 MW power project at Madban village of Ratnagiri
district in Maharashtra was on full display.  People were continuously
protesting from 2005 when the land acquisition was set in motion and
against environment clearance granted by the central government. A group of
furious women ransacked and burnt papers and furniture at the Nate police
station. The tension between the police and the people mounted which
culminated in the police firing causing the death of Tarbej Sayekar, a 27
year youth.

The people in the Jaitapur locality observed the first death anniversary of
martyr Tarbej Sayekar by observing a bandh and once again opposing the
Jaitapur power project. On this occasion, between 3 to 5 in the afternoon,
a crowd of about 3000 people gathered together and offered their tributes
to martyr Tarbej Sayekar by reading the Koran.

Shri Kolse Patil ex High Court judge; Smt Vaishali Patil, activist against
nuclear project; MLA Rajan Salvi, Jamat-e-islam’s Abdul Faroqui and
Mohammed Kazi; Shri Gopal Dhukand; President of the Machimar Kruti Samithi
and a local leader, Shri Ahmjed Borkar; Mansur Solkar, Satyajit Chauhan and
other persons were present on the occasion.

Inspite of the High Court having decided as illegal the externment order by
the collector of Ratnagiri against important activists and leaders, the
police of Ratnagiri have started the process of issuing an order of
externment to Smt Vaishali Patil under the Mumbai Police Act 1956. The
final order is awaited. The people against the nuclear project see this act
of police as unjustified and have become aggressive on this issue. Even
today ex judge Kolse Patil and Vaishali Patil were served notice u/s 149 of
the Crpc Before attending the function. Kolse Patil said the best tribute
to Tarbej would be the closure of the nuclear plant and to fight for it  to
make it come true.Smt Vaishali Patil expressed her confidence that the
death of Tarbej will not go in vain. The Father of the deceased Shri Sattar
Latif Sayekar thanked all those organizations, institutions, political
parties, MLAs and representatives who visited and offered their condolences
and helped his family during the last one year. However, he also condemned
the insensitivity of the present government for neither visiting his family
nor helping them financially.

Shri Ahmjad Borkar, the leader of the fisherfolks gathered together on the
Jaitapur – Nate road, the place of sacrifice of Tarbej and offered
community prayers amidst the recitation of kuran. The people of Jaitapur
and Nate walked in a procession with the name plate of Tarbej and
christened the Jaitapur-Nate road as Tarbaj Soyekar Road. The women present
could not control their tears, while the silent youth held high placards
that read “Not let your death go in vain”. This was their way of paying
their tributes to Tarbej.







The protests in Jaitapur against the pro- posed nuclear power project took
an ugly turn on Monday with the death of a protester in a police firing.

The victim was part of a mob that had attacked a police station in the
district and set it on fire.

Around eight policemen were also injured in the incident.Home minister R.R.
Patil said that there is also an apprehension that villagers had decamped
with police arms during the attack on the police station.

The incident also affected the business of the legisla- tive Assembly,
which was adjourned for the day after pandemonium over the police firing in
Jaitapur.

According to Mr Patil, a group of protesters attacked the Nate police
station in Jaitapur and set it on fire. In defence, the police fired rounds
in the air to disperse the aggressive mob.

A man identified as Tarbej Sahakar died in the police firing, Mr R.R Patil
said.

“The police had to open fire as last resort. A deputy superintendent of
police and some constables have also been injured in the stone pelting by
the protest- ers,” Mr Patil said.

The home minister admit-

ted that the situation in Jaitapur has been since Union environment and
for- est minister Jairam Ramesh stated that there was no need to re-think
over the nuclear project in the dis- trict.

“People from nearby vil- lages had gathered together to stage a
demonstration at the project site. Therefore, most policemen were deployed
at the site to avoid any untoward incident.

Only five policemen were present at the police station when it was
attacked,” Mr Patil said.

However, Mr Patil’s state- ment drew angry criticism from the Opposition.
The Opposition MLAs accused the government of not tak- ing the protests
seriously, and the House had to be adjourned for 10 minutes.

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam had raised the issue in the
legislative council. However, industry minister Narayan Rane had claimed
that there was no casualty. “Around 100 to 130 workers of a political party
tried to enter the pro- ject site. When the police tried to stop them, the
party workers pelted stones, which is why the police had to resort to cane
charge and later also fire few rounds in the air. But nobody was dead or
injured in the police firing,” Mr Rane said.

Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project is a proposed 9900 MW power project of
Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) at Madban village of Ratnagiri
district in Maharashtra.[2] If built, it would be the largest nuclear power
generating station in the world by net electrical power rating.[3][4]



On December 6, 2010 agreement was signed for the construction of first set
of two third-generation European Pressurized Reactors and the supply of
nuclear fuel for 25 years in the presence of French President Nicolas
Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[5]



French nuclear engineering firm Areva S.A. and Indian state-owned nuclear
operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India signed this multi billion
valued agreement of about $9.3 billion. This is a general framework
agreement along with agreement on 'Protection of Confidentiality of
Technical Data and Information Relating to Nuclear Power Corporation in the
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy' was also signed.[6][7][8][9][10]



Debate about the nuclear power project at Jaitapur is ongoing on various
levels. Environmental effects of nuclear power and geological issues have
been raised by anti nuclear activists. Many protests have been carried out
by local people against the proposed nuclear power plant. On December 4,
2010, protests became violent when over 1500 people were detained from
among thousands of protesters, who included environmentalists and local
villagers. On April 18, 2011, one man was shot and killed by police and
eight were injured after protests turned violent.[11][12]