AAP leaders cling to trees to oppose smart city project

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 1

Taking a cue from Garhwal’s famous Chipko movement, Aam Aadmi Party workers, along with tea garden employees ,clinged to tea garden trees to express opposition to the acquisition of tea estate for the smart city project here today.

Led by senior AAP leader Anoop Nautiyal, the protesters reached the Harbanswala tea garden and clinged to the trees in the garden area. They also raised slogans against the state and Central governments on the proposed smart city project.

Addressing the gathering, Nautiyal said AAP would continue to protest and oppose corruption in the name of the smart city project. He added both BJP and Congress were hand in glove in the name of the smart city project.

The AAP workers also held a protest rally in the area. Omkar Bhatia, Uma Sisodia, Abhishek Bahuguna and Kamal Devrari were prominent among those who took part in the Chipko protest.

CPM to launch postcard campaign

Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists have decided to send postcards, signed by nearly 5,000 displaced villagers, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to register their protest against the proposed smart city project on the tea estate land in the city. They said the state government should take effective steps to revive tea estates here.

Former zila panchayat member Shivprasad Devli said CPM activists had registered protests on many occasions against the proposed smart city project. He said the smart city project would adversely affect the environment as hundreds of trees would be chopped off for it.

The activists claimed hundreds of unemployed youths would get employment, if the state government chalks-out effective plans to revive tea gardens in the city.

The activists claimed residents were unhappy with a memorandum signed by the state government for the smart city project, without taking them into confidence. Rajendra Purohit, Veerandra Purohit, Indu Naudiyal, Lekhraj, Anant Akash and others attended the meeting.