There are 32,000 families in 172 villages still waiting to be rehabilitated satisfactorily and the rising waters are threatening their life and livelihood.
Abdul Bari Masoud | Caravan Daily
NEW DELHI– Narmada Bachao Andolan, a movement for rehabilitation of thousands of families displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project, on Wednesday staged a day’s sit-in at Jantar Mantra here to press for their unfulfilled demands. Environment activists associated with the movement said they were not begging but demanding due rights and compensation awarded to them by the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal.
Alleging large-scale “irregularities” in the Narmada Control Authority, they warned against giving permission for full reservoir level of Sardar Sarovar Dam which could inundate the surrounding habitats.
Speaking to Caravan Daily, Devram Kanera, an activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) said, “We have come here to highlight our plight as the Narmada Control Authority did not pay our compensation as yet.
“We are not begging for compensation. We are demanding our rights and entitlements which government had provided as part of the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal and confirmed by the Supreme Court and various policies of state governments,” he added.
He said there are 32,000 families in 172 villages still waiting to be rehabilitated satisfactorily and the rising waters are threatening their life and livelihood.
Hundreds of farmers, workers, fishermen and activists joined the day-long protest demanding that Narmada Control Authority (NCA) should not give permission to fill the reservoir of Sardar Sarovar Dam to its full capacity of 139 mts.
A bevy of leaders and activists came to express their solidarity with the displaced families of the Narmada dam. Among them was Annie Raja of National Federation of Indian Women, who alleged that the Modi Government is looting the natural resources and handing these over to its crony capitalists for profit by trampling upon the rights of the tribal people in the name of development.
Convener of the Jan Sangharsh Vahini, Bhupender Rawat, said the agricultural lands of the Narmada valley are being flooded for what; to irrigate land in Gujarat but unfortunately even that is not happening. He alleged the water is being given to industries and car factories. How many more farmers will have to sacrifice their land and fields for the corporate greed, asked Rawat.
Later in the day, a delegation led by Vimal Bhai of Matu Jan Sangathan met the secretary, Jalshakti Ministry, and UP Singh who is also secretary to Narmada Control Authority which was to meet today. The delegation emphasised that “Sardar Sarovar Dam should not be allowed to be filled up to 139 mts, full reservoir level, and until that happens let the gates of the Sardar Sarovar Dam be lowered so that water recedes from the villages of the Narmada.”
Vimal Bhai said the water secretary didn’t give a word of assurance or even action to be taken to the delegation and kept repeating the same official line that Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) will be completed in accordance with the award of the NCA. The delegation urged him to ask the Madhya Pradesh Government to check the claims made by the NBA that even today 8,000 cases are pending in the Grievance Redressal Authority.
On the occasion, the NBA activists announced that they would continue the struggle and vowed that they won’t move from their villages. They will face the flooding against this injustice being meted out to them by elected governments.
Comrade Manoj of All India Kisan Sabha, Vijayan M J of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, Madhuresh Kumar, Rajendra Ravi, Arvind Murti of National Alliance of People’s Movements, Prakash of Kachra Kaamgar Union, Sanjeev Kumar and Ashok Kumar of Dalit Adivasi Adhikar Shakti Manch, Vinod Koshy of Dynamic Action (Kerala), Anil Varghese, Emlon, Rishit Neogi, Aryaman and others from Delhi Solidarity Group extended support to the struggle of NBA.