THE people of northern Andhra Pradesh should wage a relentless battle against the proposed nuclear power plant at Kovvada in Srikhakulam district as such a struggle alone can repel the move, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat said. Addressing a seminar in Visakhapatnam on July 17, he said that if not stopped, the nuclear power plant, being set up at the behest of the US, will have grave consequences for the people.

Following is edited excerpt of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar’s speech at the 11th meeting of Inter-State Council, held in New Delhi on July 16:

THE people of northern Andhra Pradesh should wage a relentless battle against the proposed nuclear power plant at Kovvada in Srikhakulam district as such a struggle alone can repel the move, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat said. Addressing a seminar in Visakhapatnam on July 17, he said that if not stopped, the nuclear power plant, being set up at the behest of the US, will have grave consequences for the people.

THE State Level Plenum of CPI(M) in Jharkhand has called for building a strong revolutionary party organisation to counter the communal and right-wing forces and to take up the people’s issues. The plenum began with a huge rally by workers, peasants, youths and women.

WORKERS at the Shongtong Karcham Hydropower Project, under the banner of CITU, have been on strike for the past four months but the government and the local administration remain insensitive to their just and genuine demands. The workers are demanding that labour laws be implemented. But the administration and the government are on the side of the contractors who are not paying minimum wages, overtime and tunnel allowances to the workers and not depositing provident fund contribution. A worker is losing out Rs 5,000-7,000 per month on account of denial of their rights by the contractors.