CPM opposes proposed smart city project

Tribune News Service 

Dehradun, December 17

The CPM has expressed  resentment over the state government proposal to the Centre for setting up of a smart city in Dehradun.

At a party meeting held here today, party’s state secretary Vijay Rawat said both Congress and BJP were hand in glove as far as the smart city project in Dehradun was concerned. He said both parties were working for the benefit of builder lobby and that was the main reason they want to come up with a smart city on tea gardens.

Rawat said our party was of the firm view that tea gardens of Dehradun must be revived so that employment opportunities in these tea gardens get increased. 

Another speaker Shiv Prasad Devli said the state government wanted to take over tea garden land at any cost. He said the state government was not considering the opinion of local villagers and tea garden workers. 

He said the CPI would shortly start an awareness campaign in the state against smart city. 

He said the party was in favour of giving land ownership rights to tea garden workers who had been working in these gardens for the past many generations.  CPI Dehradun secretary Rajendra Purohit, Indu Naudiyal, Anant Akash and Lekraj were prominent participants to the meeting.