Political leaders and representatives of various bodies under the banner of Chai Bagan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (CBBSS), have strongly objected to the plan for developing a smart city on tea estate lands in Dehradun. Stating that implementing the smart city plan as a joint venture with a Chinese institution could be detrimental to national security considering the proximity to various important defence related institutions here. The CBBSS will stage a protest here on December 6 which will be followed by a protest rally to the residence of the chief minister on December 11.
Addressing the media at the Press club hereon Friday, BJP leader Ravindra Jugran said that the MP and MlAs concerned who have so far remained silent on this issue should clarify their stand. He said that whereas Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi toured across India speaking against the land acquisition bill with Congress stalling parliament on the issue, chief minister Harish Rawat is using all means to acquire the tea estate lands. pointed to the Congress opposition to the land acquisition bill in the parliament, in contradiction of which the Congress-led State Government was planning to utilise tea estate land for construction of smart city. He said that the greenery in this area acts as lungs of the city and that the CBBSS will oppose this plan even to the extent of approaching the court of law. The course of opposition will be planned with involvement of affected tea-estate workers, affected residents of nearby villages, intelligentsia, social activists, ex-servicemen, youth, women and Statehood activists.
CPI senior leader Samar Bhandari said that on the issue of construction of smart city on tea estate land, the BJP was playing the role of a friendly opposition. The issue of national security was also raised considering the MoU slated to be signed with the Tongji University of China for developing the smart city as a joint venture in a place with important army and defence related institutions including the Indian Military Academy and Instruments Research and Development Establishment among others. The CBBSS members pointed out that tea estates were established in Dehradun about 170 years ago for which labourers were sourced from Uttar Pradesh who have been working in the tea-estates for about five generations now. The CBBSS will stage a protest against the smart city plan onDecember 6 which will be followed by a protest rally to the CM residence on December 11.