DAY 55

DAY 55

Today is the 55th day of the indefinite hunger strike by Satyagrahis and members of ACT led by Dawa Lepcha and 20 year old Tenzing Gyatso Lepcha. While Dawa has been discharged from STNM Hospital and continues his indefinite hunger strike at BL House along with the rest of the members on relay hunger strike, Tenzing is still undergoing nasal feeding through Ryle's tube at STNM.

The Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) during a press meet today has welcomed talks offered by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.

Talking to scribes, Tseten Lepcha, Chief Coordinator, ACT said, “ACT repose full faith and direct interaction by the chief minister to look into the demands and to restore the stalemate.”
However, in the event of their meeting with the chief minister, the ACT will place the primary demands as stated in the December 2006 memorandum.

It may be recalled here that the December 2006 memorandum has demanded for scrapping of all the hydro electric power projects from North Sikkim as well as reviewing of all the hydro-electric power projects in Sikkim.

ACT further says that they will be accepting the review committee only if the request for suspension of all activities, particularly land acquisition and other works relating to hydro electric projects in north Sikkim are suspended till the review committee submits its recommendation.

“All other provisions related to the review committee like the time frame for notification, the composition of the committee should be as already agreed upon and the guiding principle or the term of reference of the review committee and other issues involved should be as per the letter no 75/cs/Sikkim/2007 dated July 25 2007,” said Tseten Lepcha, Chief Coordinator, ACT.

Meanwhile, ACT has condemned all allegations made against them by some organizations who branded them as anti-socials and anti-nationals. ACT also stated that they have never indulged in such activities adding that activities of a political organization are beyond their purview.

Though ACT has requested political parties to help them in their fight against the hydro power projects in the state, the chief coordinator said that any acts of a political party cannot be attributed to them. “Whatever they do is beyond our knowledge and cannot be helped,” he further said.