Indian villagers refuse to give land for nuclear plant

Jaitapur, Ratnagiri: “Oh God, come to our rescue, save our livelihood. We don’t want the project to come up on our land. Take it away from here. Please grant us our request.”

Sitting in the courtyard of the Anjaneshwar temple in Mithgawane village, Ratnagiri district, around 2,000 villagers chant this prayer at least once a week. The ‘unwanted’ project is the proposed nuclear power plant eight km from Jaitapur village.

Over the past year, the temple has doubled up as a meeting ground – cutting across caste, class and religion – for the villagers who all face a common problem.

The 938-hectare land spread across five villages – Madban, Mithgawane, Karel, Niweli and Ansure in Ratnagiri district – has lush paddy fields, mango orchards, and acres of grass for cattle to graze.

And it’s poised to house six pressurised heavy water reactors imported from France to generate 10,000 mega watt of power for Maharashtra.

The plant, 450 km south of Mumbai, is the outcome of the 2008 Indo-French agreement, India’s first international collaboration after the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group lifted restrictions on civil nuclear cooperation.

At the temple meeting, prayers are followed by discussions of the project.

“A public meeting anywhere else in the village will invite police censure,” said Srikrishna Mayekar, a retired headmaster. “One thing is clear, no one wants the power plant.”

The simmering discontent, left unaddressed, could lead to a Singur-like flare-up against the Nano plant or the protests to the Reliance Special Economic Zone in Raigad.

C.B. Jain, project manager, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, said the project would not be affected by the protests.

“We will go ahead with the project and it will be as per schedule. Unlike Singur, which was a private project, the nuclear plant is a central government project. It is in the interest of the people of India. Even the high court has dismissed their petition.”

“The plant is being built at the cost of our livelihood. How long will the compensation last? Our fields are our only source of income,” said Anil Tilotkar, a farmer from Niweli village.

The state has started the land acquisition process, and the 5,000-odd affected villagers are determined not to give up their land. On October 15 and October 27, about 187 villagers from Niweli rejected the compensation cheques.

Many villagers allege that the government is also offering a measly compensation of Rs 3 per sq feet as compared to the market rate of up to Rs 10,000 per sq feet in Jaitapur. “They can negotiate and we are open to a dialogue with the villagers,” Jain said.

In 10 days, the villagers hope to file a petition in the Supreme Court. A rally is being planned in Mumbai to draw the government’s attention and to garner public support.

On November 24, the Janhit Seva Samiti, which comprises affected villagers, is organising a seminar to explain why they are opposed to the plant.

Pravin Gavandkar is making copies of CDs that have information on the adverse effects of radioactivity on villages near the Rajasthan atomic power station and the Jaduguda uranium mines in Jharkhand.

The government is still to hold a public hearing, mandatory for environmental clearance.

“We just don’t want the plant here,” said Prajali Adiverkar (40). Her little patch of land in Manbad yields about 1,000 kg of rice a year — just enough to feed her family of 10. “This is all we have. We will have to beg on the streets.”

Another village says no

The second round of the land acquisition process for the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant has also met with dissent.

On October 31, residents of Karel village in Ratnagiri district, about 450 km from Mumbai, refused to accept acquisition notices for about 70 hectares to set up colonies for the staff employed at the plant site.

The notification summoned around 165 villagers to collect their compensation cheques on November 10.

“I did receive information that some villagers did not accept the acquisition notices. However, we are yet to decide the next course of action,” said Makarand Deshmukh, special land acquisition officer.

Of the five villages – Madban, Mithgawane, Karel, Niweli and Ansure – from which land has to be acquired, Karel is the second village where the notice has been sent.

“Not accepting the notice is our way of saying we won’t deter,” said Pravin Gavandkar (56), who is spearheading the protests under the banner of Janhit Seva Samiti.

“We do not want to negotiate over the compensation amount. We don’t want the nuclear plant.”

This is not the first time that villagers have refused to part with their land comprising paddy fields, mango orchards and dry grass where their cattle graze.

Last month, 187 villagers from Niweli village had refused to accept compensation cheques on two occasions.

The state government now plans ex-parte acquisition of land, which is provided in the law.

The compensation being offered to villagers is Rs 3 per sq ft. Villagers allege that the amount offered is paltry and that land in Jaitapur – 8 km from the plant site – is being sold at a market rate of up to Rs 10,000 per sq ft.

“The government says the land is barren. But it also gives bricks that are used to build homes,” said Gavandkar.

He has done his math – 1,087 sq ft land gives 8,000 bricks, each costing Rs 20.

“Going by that, the value of the plot is Rs 1.60 lakh,” he said.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd’s officials, however, expressed willingness to negotiate with the villagers.

Of the 938-hectares, 700 hectares will house the six European-pressurised heavy water reactors imported from France and poised to generate 1,650 mega watts of power. While an environmental clearance for the reactor site is still awaited, the current land acquisition process is to set up utility facilities for the staff at the plant.