People's Democracy

CPI(M) MPs TEAM VISITS NARMADA VALLEY

Rehabilitate Dam Affected People

A team of two CPI(M) MPs, Subodh Roy and Sarala Maheshwari, visited some of the places in Narmada valley from August 15 to August 17 to know first hand the conditions of the people in these areas which are likely to submerge in Sardar Sarovar Dam Project. Moved by the plight of the people, the MPs after their return to Delhi demanded that the ruling of Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award (NWDTA) in regard to resettlement and rehabilitation of affected people be implemented immediately. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader, Medha Patkar, accompanied the CPI(M) MPs during their visit. We are giving here excerpts from a report made by these MPs about their visit.

WE reached Baroda early in the morning and started for one of the resettlement and rehabilitation site at Krishnapura Basawat where some of the tribal oustees from 19 villages of Gujarat were rehabilitated. We reached here at around 12 noon. A meeting was organised with all the residents of Basawat. It became a sort of public hearing. Inhabitants were shifted to this place about eight years back. But till now they were not properly settled and all of them wanted to go back to their original places. None of the promises made to them were kept. Instead they are being subjected to repression whenever they demand for the entitlement of rehabilitation benefits as per NWDT award. The Grievance Redressal Authority has proved to be a hoax and a waste of time. People submitted scores of applications to NBA leaders before us. The meeting continued for about two hours.

From Krishnapura we went to Hafeswar, hilly bank of Narmada river and crossed in a boat to Domkhedi (Maharashtra) in the evening. This was a small tribal village where NBA has camped and is on satyagraha. Domkhedi is likely to submerge this year itself if there is heavy rainfall. When the dam height was only 80 mtrs, a big portion of this village was submerged. Now the height is 95 metres. A huge public hearing was held at Domkhedi which continued till mid-night. Representatives from nearby 20 villages took part in this hearing. All had the same tales of repression by the administration, uprooting without proper rehabilitation and compensations Those affected by the submersion when the dam height was raised to 80 metres have not yet been compensated. There are thousands of such families who are not ready to leave their places and have taken the oath to give their lives instead of vacating their places. They are being asked to go to Gujarat but none of the three governments are ready to give them the benefit package as per NWDT Award. We passed the night at NBA’s temporary camp built on the riverside.

After prolonged discussion with some NBA activists and after going through some documents relating to the Narmada Project, many questions arise and we feel that there is need for undertaking a serious study of the matter. Cost benefit factors of this project should be closely scrutinized. Thousands of hectares of already irrigated land would be submerged, lakhs of people would be evicted and thousands of hectares of forest cover would disappear. In comparison to this what would be the net gain? This is the question being raised by many people in the valley. The role of international Dam mafias should also be closely studied.

Some immediate demands in regard to resettlement and rehabilitation as per the ruling of NWDTA must be raised:

·         Livelihood of landholders must be restored by provision of alternate land in place of cash compensation hitherto given under Land Acquisition process [NWDTA XI IV (7)]

·         Affected people must be rehabilitated on irrigable lands in the command or irrigable lands in their own state with irrigation provided at the cost of the government. [NWDTA XI IV (2) (1)]

·         Affected people be given a right to choose between Gujarat and their home states for their settlement. [NWDTA XI IV (2) (1)]

·         Villages must be relocated as a community along with all the amenities necessary for a village. [NWDTA XI IV (1) & (2) (iv)]

·         Irrigable lands must be made available for the rehabilitation one year in advance. [NWDTA XI IV (2) (iv)]

·         In no event should any areas of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra be submerged unless all arrangements are made for the rehabilitation of the oustees and intimated to them. [NWDTA XI IV (6) (ii)]

·         Rehabilitation must be done well in advance of project construction [NWDTA XI IV (2) (I)], otherwise the construction and water filling in the reservoir must stop till this is not done.

·         Repression on tribal people being evicted from Man Dam site should immediately be stopped; they should be rehabilitated as per the recommendations of the Grievance Redressal Authority instituted for this purpose. Till then their places should not be allowed to be submerged.

·         Maheshwar Hydel Power Project should be reviewed and be abandoned lock stock and barrel.