Demonstration Before Chief Minister Against Setting up Hazardous Asbestos Factory

Patna. January 16:

The villagers of Chaksultan Rampur Rajdhari near Panapur under Goraul block of Vaishali district took out a huge march on the streets of state capital Patna on Wednesday against setting up asbestos factory in their locality. Under the banner of Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jan Sangharsh Committee (KBJBJC) the villagers in thousands marched in the city as a part of their ongoing agitation against the construction of hazardous plant in densely populated area on agricultural land. It is note worthy that after the villagers Mahadharna of June 14, 2012, the district administration had put a stay on the construction of the factory. When the construction started again on December 16, 2012, the villagers blocked the Mahua-Samastipur road for 9 hours to express their protest against the proposed white asbestos plant of Utkal Asbestos Limited (UAL)

 The well-decorated procession of villagers started from Gandhi Maidan. When the huge procession was blocked by the administration at R-Block, a massive meeting was organized there and a memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister. The memorandum demanded: 1) White asbestos based plant should be closed in public interest keeping public health in mind, 2) Register case against the management of Utkal Asbestos company sought for hatching a conspiracy against villagers and protesters and 3) Withdraw of fake cases lodged on the protesters.

Leading intellectuals of the capital supported the movement of the villagers to save health, environment, water and agriculture. Not only this, the leaders of left/democratic parties, including the trade union leaders also participated in the demonstration to express solidarity with the villagers struggle. Addressing the huge gathering the speakers said that the resolutions of WHO and ILO in 2005 and 2006 had called for the elimination of asbestos. They termed such toxic factories as anti-people and anti-public health, which must be banned as per the recommendations of the WHO. The shady designs of the UAL company against the villagers and protesters to protect its hazardous plant at the cost of villagers’ health was condemned by the speakers who spoke at the demonstration. Besides Ajeet Kumar Singh, Asheshar Sharma, Sanjay Kumar Khet from KBJBJSC the gathering was addressed by Priyadarshi from Jan Mukti Sangharsh Vahini; Satya Narain Singh, former MLA and leader, CPI; Lallan Chaudhary, President, CPIM’s Kisan Sabha; Shiv Shankar, State Secretary, SUCI (C); K D Yadav and Dhirendra Jha from CPIL (ML) Liberation; Arvind Sinha from CPIL (ML), Amerika Mahto from Forward Block; Vijay Kumar Chaudhary from MCPI (U); Satish  from Communist Centre of India; Balmukund Singh from Krantikari Forward Block; Gajnafar Nawab from AITUC; Ganesh Shankar Singh from CITU; Arun Kumar Singh, President, AIUTUC;  Mahendra Yadav and Ashish Ranjan from National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM) and Gopal Krishna of ToxicsWatch Alliance, Pushpraj and Mona Jha.