[Assam] [WaterWatch] Dawa and Tenzing resumes hunger strike

Tue Mar 18 16:28:07 CST 2008

<they are willing to talk to militants in the north-east,> 
Till date THEY DARED NOT talk--lest the golden goose swtop laying!
MM

To: WaterWatch at yahoogroups.comFrom: rohit.pathania at gmail.comDate: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:12:16 +0530Subject: Re: [WaterWatch] Dawa and Tenzing resumes hunger strike

This is seriously inexplicable-they are willing to talk to militants in the north-east, but sane voices of rationality are suppressed, like in this case. When will the respective governments and bureaucracy realise that these very actions are responsible for spawning the cottage industry of militancy and naxalism in various parts of India?????
Rohit 
On 3/17/08, Souparna Lahiri <souparna.lahiri at gmail.com> wrote: 

Round II of hydel fast starts

By The Telegraph on March 10,2008

Gangtok, March 10: Another round of indefinite fast against mega hydel power projects in the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu started today at B.L. House here.Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), which is spearheading the protest, took out a procession in town before three of its members started the fast from 3pm. Among those on fast are Dawa Lepcha, the general secretary of ACT, who along with Tenzing Gyatso Lepcha, had been on a 63-day indefinite hunger strike the last time the organisation had protested against the projects. Both of them had to be hospitalised and kept on drip.Dzongu is a Lepcha reserve nestled in the foothills of Mt Kanchenjunga. For the community, the reserve is a holy place since it is believed that the first Lepcha couple were born there.NHPC will submit its detailed project report this month for the 495mw Teesta Stage IV project whose major components lie in Dzongu. Around 300 Lepchas participated in the procession, which started from B.L. House and made its way to New Market, Deorali, and back to the starting point. "We have started the indefinite fast again to remind (the government) that the protest is still on," said Dawa.The earlier protest of ACT was withdrawn after a public appeal from chief minister Pawan Chamling. Recently, however, during the budget session, Chamling had said the hydel power projects would not be stopped as they were for the benefit of the Sikkimese people."We had withdrawn the strike thinking that a reasonable solution will be reached," said Dawa Lepcha. "But this time it will be do or die."  

On 15/03/2008, Souparna Lahiri <souparna.lahiri at gmail.com> wrote: 

Dear All:
On March 10th Dawa and Tenzing Lepcha have rejoined the indefinite hunger strike in Gangtok.

Dawa says, "The State government's failure to come up with an appropriate solution, compelled us to once again redressal our demand by going for the indefinite strike.""We want the government to give us proper solution, as the matter is very much crucial and sensitive," he said adding "We have a plan to organize more such rallies in the days to come to make our issue and demand alive." 
I called up Dawa today, the Chief Minister, on the 9th said that projects in Dzongu will not be scrapped while on the 11th said out of 7, 6 will be scrapped except Panan.

I thinki they (ACT) are a bit unhappy with the lack of follow up or lack of response from us in Delhi, the Planning Commission people including Kirit Parikh, though promised is yet to reach Dzongu, we have failed to organise a review/evaluating team so far and our Delhi team is yet to reach Dzongu.

ACT is organsing a series of big rallies in Gangtok.

Souparna 
On 13/03/2008, Souparna Lahiri <souparna.lahiri at gmail.com> wrote: 

Dear All:
For the Dibang Multipurpose project two public hearings were scheduled in anuary 2008, on ein Roing the headquarter of Dibang Valley and the other in New Aneya in the submergence zone in Upper Dibang Valley. The Public HEaring in Roing took place on the 29th as scheduled but the second one was postponed due to disruption in road connections because of heavy snowfall in Mayodia.

That PH was scheduled for March 12, yesterday. Many of yu may know that the AMSU, All mIshmi Students Union had already given a call of boycott of the PH still the NHPC officials, police force, PH panel members including the State Pollution Control Board Chairperson and the DC, Upper Dibang Valley, all were on their way to New Aneya. Yesterday morning, the villagers of the affected villages erected two road blocks in the upstream and downstream of the project.

The first group of NHPC officials and a pose of police were stopped neat Suklanagar by the villagers, a portion of the bridge across the rievr was removed and erate villagers with their traditional daos confronted them. Both the police and the NHPC officials went back. In the upstream simlarroadblock was erected a nd the pandal for the PH was pulled down. Though the DC and the SPCB Chairperson managed to reach New Aneya, angry villagers including women confronted them and there was a heated exchange and they were chased and driven out of New Aneya. In the melee, (it has ben reported) the womenfolk beat up the SPCB Chairperson. Ultimately, that team also went back and the PH could not be held. 

The people of the affected villages are refusing to part with their land and there is considerable tension prevailing there.

I am just sending this report after I was communicated the events by telephone from Dibang Valley. I am not very sure of all the facts that have been reported, though this is an eye witness report.

I will request all of you not to circulate this note further. We are waiting for the local newspaper reports in Echo of Arunachal and Arunachal Times.

What I get from the conversation is that there is considerable confusion prevailing after this event.

Things may get clearer once I land up there a fortnight later.

But, this is the first time that such an event has happend there in Arunachal.

Souparna-- Souparna Lahiri143 Khirki VillageNew Delhi - 110 017Mobile: 91 9818147740Tel (R) No. 91 11 29541502 -- Souparna Lahiri143 Khirki VillageNew Delhi - 110 017Mobile: 91 9818147740Tel (R) No. 91 11 29541502 -- Souparna Lahiri143 Khirki VillageNew Delhi - 110 017Mobile: 91 9818147740Tel (R) No. 91 11 29541502 -- Souparna Lahiri143 Khirki VillageNew Delhi - 110 017Mobile: 91 9818147740Tel (R) No. 91 11 29541502 

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