Revolt brewing against nuclear plant in Bhavnagar

[kristopher]

Revolt brewing against nuclear plant in Bhavnagar
Manas Dasgupta

The first bugle of revolt against the proposal to set up a 6000 MW capacity nuclear power plant at Jaspara-Mithi Virdi village in Bhavnagar district in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat was sounded on Friday.

The village panchayats of over 50 coastal villages in the district, which apprehend direct impact if the nuclear power plant is set up, took a “do or die” pledge at a public meeting at Mithi Virdi village not to allow the government to acquire their “fertile land” to set up the nuclear plant.

Leaders of different political parties extended their support. Cutting across party lines, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, its breakaway group the Mahagujarat Janata Party (MJP), the Congress and several Gandhian voluntary organisations addressed the public meeting and were witness to the villagers taking the pledge.
“Not a solution”

The villagers maintained that selling the land that provided them the sustenance was no solution to any problem as they were likely to squander away the money received in compensation. “Even if we accept a few crores of rupees for the land, we will end up frittering it away. How can we think of selling the land,” the villagers said.

The villagers' opposition ...

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2055206.ece


In case you don't know, it was a similar scenario of public opposition in India that gave birth to the term "tree hugger".