27 November 2007
Special Correspondent
THE HINDU
CUDDALORE: The Citizens for Human Rights Movement and the Cuddalore District Consumer Protection Organisation have appealed to District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo to arrange for a “fair and free public hearing” on the proposed private power company project.
In separate but identical petitions addressed to the District Collector, R.Muniappan, organiser of the Citizens for Human Rights and M.Nizamudeen, executive secretary of the consumer organisation, stated that the venue for the public hearing (scheduled for November 28) District Development Council Hall was too small to accommodate the representatives of not less than 12 villages, including Thiagavalli and Kudikadu, where the private company had initiated measures to acquire lands.
Hence, they requested the Collector to shift the venue to a spacious place and fix another date for the session so as to provide adequate time for the villagers to attend it. They also noted that imposing conditions on the participants and seeking identity proofs militated against the democratic spirit.
In contravention to the announcement made by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board that the session was open to all the police personnel were restricting the number of participants.