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Maharashtra DyCM skips Enron debate yet again

The public debate on the Enron project between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and anti-Enron leader Medha Patkar's has once again been postponed to August 11. This is the third time that Munde has sought a postponement on the Enron debate, which was to be held near the site of the Enron project, the Dabhol Power Corporation.

Despite Munde's truancy, the anti-Enron lobby, the Enron Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti, held a public meeting on Saturday near the site to explain the ill-effects of the Enron project.

The Maharashtra government has sought a postponement till August 11, saying Munde was preoccupied with the situation in the state following the recent violence in Bombay. However, Patkar wondered if the political situation would be any better a fortnight later.

The anti-Enron group said it had asked for access to some 34 documents from the state government, which have not yet been made available.

Chief Minister Manohar Joshi had assured Patkar that Munde would participate in a debate on the controversial Enron project, being set up in Guhagar, near Dabhol, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Munde too had agreed to participate in the debate.

Meanwhile, Munde is scheduled to visit Chiplun and Guhagar on August 4 and 5 to put forth the government's point of view on the Enron project to Bharatiya Janata Party workers and later on August 11 to participate in the debate with Patkar.

Compiled by Prasanna D Zorey from the Marathi press