Up in Smoke

The demon terrorizing these villagers is of course a representation of the authority. During his recent visit to Moscow,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed a declaration that identifies Haripur as one of the sites to put up four reactors as a part of a chain ‘nuclear parks’ in the country. The phrase “chain of nuclear parks” upsets filmmaker Shyamalendu Biswas. “For the past few years feasibility surveys have been carried out in Haripur. The news terrified the people there. They are scared and very angry. It was not just their property and livelihood but their way of life that they were going to lose,” says Biswas who has documented the struggle of these villagers in his film Point Zero.

Most villagers scoff at the idea of compensation. “Both the Central and the state governments’ stand on the subject is not very clear. Everything looks very fishy,but these villagers are determined to fight it out. I found that stand very inspiring,” says Biswas.

The resistance movement started by these villagers can well become a “people’s movement”,like the ones in Nandigram and Singur. “In one of the demonstrations there were 10,000 agitated villagers who had no intentions whatsoever to give up their land. It was quite a sight,” says Biswas.

Biswas feels that the movement addresses all the issues that threaten our lives in the modern world. “Apart from the environmental issues,the feasibility issues disturb me. The truth is that Haripur has a population density of 500 per square kilometer. It has a fishing harbour and very fertile land. Why should government consider a nuclear plant there?” he asks.

Biswas started film the documentary in 2007,a year after “the feasibility survey was started”. “I have filmed it over the years. I hope the film manages to carry the voices of these villagers to people who matter,” says Biswas who was an award winning student at Chitrabani.

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