Gangtok,Sept22: The 'suitable reply' as per directive of Sikkim CM and Cabinet in response to letter from ACT president Athup Lepcha has been delivered by the high powered committee as response to ACT's communication refusing inclusion of its President as member of state government review committee instituted to study and report within 100 days about hydel projects proposed in Dzongu of north Sikkim and also several other points.
The main content of the reply consists of asking the ACT president,again to become a member of the review committee set up recently and examine issues related to the implementation of the hydel projects in Dzongu.
It is informed that committee chaired by the Chief Secretary ,who also heads the proposed review committee,has urged the Affected Citizens of Teesta to enable its president Athup Lepcha to accept a seat on review committee although it has not responded to all the points reflected in earlier letter from ACT except one point refer ed by ACT president that "on27th July,the State Government tried to raid BL House and arrest members of ACT but the Sikkim police officers refused to carry out the illegal raid".To this specific point,State government has stated that it had no intentions to carry out raids at BL House or effects arrests and has explained that the deadline of the 27th July issued by the government mentioned that ACT lift its hunger strike by that date or action as per law would be taken."Though at that time it had apprehended that 'action as per law could mean forceful evacuation of the protests' it has now been clarified that the phrase actually meant that the required process of hydel project related works would be allowed to begin with and so the disbursement of the land compensation for the acquisition of land which has begun for the Panan project in Dzongu and Stage III in north Sikkim .
Similarly ,ACT has also clarified that has never communicated that it would withdraw relay hunger strike on October 2 on Gandhi Jayanti although it has stated that 'The AC T's Satyagraha presented in the form of the relay hunger strike will continue till 2nd October,2007 - Gandhi Jayanti - because the year 2007 has been declared as year of Satyagraha by government of India".
