Five thousand villagers defy police in march and rally against Jaitapur nuclear power plant

Villagers from Madhban-Mithgavane, Sakhrinate, Adiware, Dhaulwali,
Dhartale and other hamlets were taking part in the march Wednesday
despite prohibitory orders clamped by the local police to deter them.

Anti-nuclear plant protestors launch ‘jail-bharo’ in Maharashtra
http://india.nydailynews.com/business/2c7c1676293d2f93702509aa46ba49fd/anti-nuclear-plant-protestors-launch-jail-bharo-in-maharashtra
Jan 02, 2013 Ratnagiri  — Thousands of villagers Wednesday launched a
‘jail bharo’ agitation demanding scrapping of the proposed 9,900-MW
Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) coming up here, an activist
said.
Nearly 5,000 residents from neighbouring villages and fishing hamlets
started a peaceful march to the JNPP site, some 400 km from Mumbai,
where they proposed to court arrest.
Police beefed up security and clamped prohibitory orders to stop the
protestors, said Vaishali Patil, one of the key activists in the
anti-JNPP agitation, who is facing externment proceedings for her
opposition to the project.
Led by the Machhimar Kruti Samiti and other organisations, the
protestors carried banners and placards and raised anti-nuclear plant
slogans. The protest was led by Amjad Borkar, Mansur Solkar and Shiv
Sena legislator Rajan Salvi.
“They will march up to Sonargarga, the entry point for JNPP where the
police have set up barricades. We expect the villagers to be arrested
at this point,” Patil told IANS.
She said the villagers of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts are
strongly opposed to the JNPP.
Patil pointed out that the recent tender notification issued by the
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. was an indicator that the
government wanted to go ahead with the JNPP ignoring the opposition by
the local population.
“Through this agitation, the villagers are reiterating their demand to
cancel all agreements for the JNPP. If the government does not heed
the people’s sentiments, then they will not allow the project to come
up,” she added.
Villagers from Madhban-Mithgavane, Sakhrinate, Adiware, Dhaulwali,
Dhartale and other hamlets were taking part in the march Wednesday
despite prohibitory orders clamped by the local police to deter them.

January 4, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, opposition to nuclear