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Public meeting on Gorakhpur N-plant ends up a no-show
In the end, the much-awaited public hearing meeting to discuss the environment impact assessment of the Gorakhpur nuclear power plant proved to be a dud. One leg of the two-day function, started on Tuesday, lasted only 35 minutes - thanks to Opposition leaders.
In the end, the much-awaited, much-hyped public hearing meeting to discuss the environment impact assessment of the Gorakhpur nuclear power plant proved to be a dud. One leg of the two-day function, started on Tuesday, lasted only 35 minutes - thanks to Opposition leaders.
The meeting started without any hitch as teams of the National Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), state pollution control board and district administration answered nearly 20 questions from farmers, gathered at Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district for the meet. Nearly 20 companies of the state police were deployed to tackle any untoward happening. Sensing trouble, the meeting was advanced by half an hour.
Trouble started when Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) chief Kuldeep Bishnoi and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)'s Ellenbad MLA Abhay Singh Chautala reached the spot. At 12.10pm, Bishnoi along with his supporters stormed the stage. Minutes later, Chautala followed and started to address farmers. Supporters of both the leaders raised slogans against the Haryana government and demanded scrapping of the project.
The district administration claimed that the meeting was successful. All in all, the proceedings remained peaceful, it said. Fatehabad MLA PS Gillakhera and Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar, who had assured of attending the meeting, were conspicuous by their absence.
Later in the day, the Ellenabad MLA while addressing a press conference at Rest House in Fatehabad said the district administration's decision to call off the programme, on seeing the scale of opposition, laid bare their own claim that only a handful were against the setting up the nuclear plant.
He said, "It is an irony that the Gorakhpur sarpanch received the notice about the public hearing meet a day before (July 16). As per law, notices must have been served on all residents of affected villages a month before the meet." Responding to a query regarding former deputy prime minister and his grandfather Devi Lal requesting the Centre of setting up a nuclear plant in Gorakhpur, Chautala said: "The situation has changed now."
