From: OpenSpace <use.info@gmail.com>
Subject: [invites] National Meet against Nuke Power in Kolkata on Feb.14

National Meet Against Nuclear Power

 Dear Friends,

 Given the alarming proposal for a nuclear cluster to be sited at Haripur in West Bengal, and the looming  threat of nuclear wave in India, a national level  meeting has been organised in Kolkata on 14 February 2007. Resource persons and participants from all over  India will share their views on the relevant issues. The meeting will be followed by a trip to Haripur on 15 - 16th February.

 You are cordially requested to attend the meeting and the trip to convey your solidarity to the struggling people of Haripur and contribute towards development of a solidarity / coordination against nuclear power in India.

 All those who are connected with struggles against nuclear power and its disastrous impacts, in whatever ways, are earnestly requested to immediately get in touch with the host committee with all relevant suggestions and confirm their participation.

 Schedule: February 14
 Venue: Seva Kendra, 52B Radhanath Chowdhury Road,
            Kolkata 700015,
            Phone 23290381 (beside Loreto Convent  in Convent Road.
            It is about 2 Km from Sealdah Station,
            about 6 Km from Howrah Station and about 7 Km from Kolkata Airport)

 I. Meeting Against Nuclear Power (Presentation and  Discussion) 10 00 Am – 5. 00 PM

 II. Strategy Meeting of all-India activists 06. 30 PM – 09 00 PM

 Feb. 15-16

 A collective trip to Haripur

 Departure for Haripur at 15th morning 7.00 AM. Come back to Kolkata by 2.00 PM.

 Feb. 16
 Press Conference
 from 3 PM - 5PM


Arrangements:

Outstation participants will be provided accomodation at Seva Kendra from 13th afternoon to 15th morning and at Contai on 15th night. (If anyone intends to stay 16th overnight, he/she is requested to intimate earlier.)

 * Trip to Haripur will be arranged by the organisers.
 * Outstation Travel support cannot be provided in absence of fund.

 Note:

 1. Senior anti nuclear  activists, environment activists and concerned eminent personalities including from scientist community from West Bengal and other parts of the country will be present

 2. Those who are interested to present papers on any aspect of the relevant issue are requested to submit Abstracts (within 300 words) immediately. They may submit the full texts within 10th February, 2007. This will help us to organize the meet in a better way.

 3. Interested persons may go through the attached file for a brief background.

 Appeal:

 Here is an urgent appeal:

 We are short of funds required to organize the event. So, do please contribute generously and appeal to others for such contribution . Please appreciate the fact that we, a handful of acitivist-citizens, are taking on the entire Indian nuclear establishment and their mentors around the planet. This would not be possible without the help of the like-minded people.

Contribution  may be sent by draft (payable at Kolkata) or by cheque in favour of:
 "Society for Direct Initiative for Social and Health Action" immediately.

 To be sent to:
 DISHA
 20/4 Sil Lane
 Kolkata--700015
 03323283989

 PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR PARTICIPATION AND SEND YOUR CONTACT PHONE NUMBER IMMEDIATELY.

 Also Please forward this invitation to your contacts.

 Pradip Datta
Gautam Sen

Anti Nuclear Forum
CNDP West Bengal,

Sujoy Basu
Harekrisna Debnath

Safe Energy and Environment,
National Fishworkers' Forum

 In solidarity
 Gautam Sen Phone No.: 2465 2507, 9433882799 email: sengautam@hotmail.com
 Office of the Anti-Nuclear Forum: C/O Disha (P.P: Santanu Chacraverti Phone:23283989)

 email: antinuclearforum@gmail.com
 Nuclear Power Project in Haripur, West Bengal in the Context of Indo-US Nulcear Deal

 National Meeting Against Nuclear Power

 We all are aware that The US President George Bush has inked the Henry Hyde Act on the December 18 last towards actualising the Indo-US Nuke Deal, which had been outlined in the Bush-Singh joint statement issued on July 18 2005 at Washington DC and further developed and reiterated on March 2, 2006 in the joint statement issued from Delhi.

 The 'Deal', as when becomes operative, will enable India to have  'civilian' nuclear trade with the US, and also the rest of the world. India as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is not normally entitled to this and was specifically debarred since May 1974, when the first Pokhran test was carried out.

 The barrier had been further raised and reinforced since May 1998, when another five tests were carried out and India explicitly declared itself as a nuclear weapon state.  Admittedly, still a couple of hurdles are to be crossed. But apart from other negative impacts in terms of increased strategic proximity between India and the US and also heightened nuclear danger to the South Asian region and the world as a whole, freer access to nuclear fuel and technology will also trigger a mad race for building nuclear power plants in the country.

 Given the fact that nuclear power is as of now very much uneconomic, capital-intensive and thereby frontloaded, intrinsically hazardous - from mining to power plant, potentially catastrophic, acts as a major driver and facilitator for manufacturing nuclear warheads, will crowd out investments and efforts for ecologically benign alternate energy and there is as of now no failsafe method of disposing nuclear waste and the old outlived plants, the consequences would be
 nothing short of disastrous.

 In West Bengal, a new nuclear power plant is reportedly in the offing in a coastal village called Haripur, that too a cyclone-prone area, in the East Medinipur district. The preliminary works are moving apace shrouded in secrecy. The West Bengal Chief Minister, Polit Buro Member of CPI(M) that opposed the Indo-US nuclear deal, has not only welcomed the nuclear power plant, but expressed his determination to build it.

 Apart from the problems cited above there would also be large scale brutal displacement and dislocation of people from their traditional habitats and means of livelihood. The local fishing and agricultural community would be severely hurt. The rich coastal fisheries will be destroyed by the ecocidal effects of releasing millions of gallons of hot water into the sea. And it goes without saying that the local populace would also be exposed to heightened radiation hazards.

 When the team of experts from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd arrived at Haripur on 17th November 2006, accompanied by battalions of armed police, the local residents blockaded the road and prevented them from entering the area. The attempt was repeated on the next day. Thousands of men, women and children from villages around the proposed site blockaded all entry points and vowed to embrace instant death rather than rotting through generations
 as evicted refugees exposed to nuclear menace.

 The high power team was compelled to retire and the Government had to beat a retreat for the moment. The
 Chief Minister however declared his resolve to carry on the project nonetheless with the NPCL chairman joining the chorus.  The people of Haripur have formed the "Haripur Paramanu Bidyut Prakalpa Pratirodh Andolan" in a 20,000 strong

 public meeting on 28th November 2006.

 THE PROGRAMME

 In view of above, the Anti-Nuclear Forum (ANF), West Bengal Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), Safe Energy and Environment and National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) have decided to hold a National Seminar on the Indo-US Nuke Deal and Nuclear Power. It will be on February 14 (10 00 Am – 5. 00 PM). The main presentations will be supplemented with intense interactive sessions.

 A Strategy Meeting of all-India activists will be held on the same day (Feb.  14. from 06. 30 PM – 09 00 PM) to chalk out a workable and effective strategy to resist nuclear power - from mining to power plant, wherever and whenever in India. Formation of a dedicated all-India platform / coordination body will also be discussed. It goes without saying that that this is going to be a long drawn battle, which the people, real people, of India can hardly afford to lose.

 Next morning a collective trip will be undertaken to Haripur as a fact-finding mission and, more than that, in solidarity with the local resistance movement in the making.  The Haripur struggle will have to be tied up with the struggles in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and elsewhere. The team will be back on 16th by 2 Pm to Kolkata. A Press Conference will be held from 3.00 to 5.00 PM.


Thank you for being with us. please pass on this information to anyone who will be interested. make sure it is used.