ACT ready for direct talks with Chief Minister: ACT

Gangtok, Aug 12 (UNI) Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), whose members are on a Satyagraha since June 20, today said it was ready to hold fresh dialogue with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling to resolve the stalemate.

''Today we passed a resolution that ACT is ready for fresh talks and we request direct interaction with the Chief Minister,'' said Tseten Lepcha, ACT's chief coordinator.

''In case there is dialogue it will be directly with the Chief Minister and not any other committees,'' he added.

The Chief Minister in a recent statement had offered a conditional dialogue if the ACT members called off Satyagraha.

However, the ACT said the ongoing hunger strike which reached its 54th day today will not be called off unless its demands were met.

If any meeting was held with the Chief Minister, the ACT will be placing its single point demand as it had done on December 12, last to scarp the proposed mega power projects in Dzongu, the Lepcha dominated areas of North Sikkim, said the ACT chief coordinator.

Regarding the review committee, ACT said that it will be acceptable only if all activities like land acquisition related to power projects in North Sikkim wre suspended till the committee submits its recommendation to the state government.

The ACT members had launched its relay hunger strike at BL house premises here in Gangtok since June 20, protesting against the proposed implementation of mega power projects in Dzongu, North Sikkim. The Satyagraha has snowballed into a major confrontation between the Opposition political parties and the ruling Sikkim Democratic Party (SDF).

While the government has been stating that the power projects in Sikkim will usher in economic development in the state, the opposition parties are opposed to the projects which they see as 'destructive' to the environment and demography.

Over the past few days, the opposition parties have demonstarted its protests while the ruling SDF party will be showing its show of strength tomorrow by organizing a mammoth rally tomorrow here at Gangtok.

UNI