Tribals in Rewa's Rozhauhi enter sixth day of funeral pyre protest against proposed nuclear plant

The "chita andolan", or funeral pyre protest, by tribal villagers against the proposed nuclear power plant at Rozhauhi in the Sirmaur-Mangawan area of Rewa district continued for a sixth day on Thursday. The villagers have made it clear that they will not let a nuclear power plant come up in their area. They say ancestral land, water sources and natural resources cannot be compromised in the name of development.

Ramshiromani Kol, Ramkaran Prajapati, Ramsujan Kol and Manfer Kol are among the many villagers taking part. They have built a symbolic pyre out of wood and are sitting and lying on it as they protest. According to the villagers, this is not the fight of one village alone. It is a fight for the tribal families around and for the future of coming generations.

The villagers say a Gram Sabha held at Sarai Kala on September 3 rejected the proposed project in a resolution opposing it. Despite this, they say, attempts are being made to move forward with initial activities linked to the project, and this has angered them. On October 9, boring machines arrived to survey the site, but the villagers protested and sent them back.

The livelihoods of the tribal families depend on farming, wage labour and natural resources. They fear that a nuclear power plant could affect water sources, farmland and the environment. They are also worried that land will be acquired later and that they will be displaced. The villagers are demanding that documents related to the project be made public and that clear information be given on its likely impact.

The protest was visible during Deepavali as well. The villagers did not light lamps in their homes and registered their protest by lighting torches instead. The anger of the protesters had grown after the death of Vimla Kol during the Jal Satyagraha.

The administration had earlier given a verbal assurance that no project-related activity would take place for 10 days. The villagers, however, say no firm decision has yet been taken on their demands. They say the protest will continue until a decision is taken to cancel the project.