People's Democracy

'Release Ministerial Report On Narmada'

THE All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has demanded that the report of the ministerial team led by the union water resources minister Saifuddin Soz to the Narmada valley on April 7 to assess the rehabilitation measures for families displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Project should be made public immediately.

In a statement issued on April 13, 2006, the AIDWA president and general secretary extended support to the struggle that has been launched by the affected persons and expressed solidarity with Medha Patkar’s hunger strike and the dharna by the Narmada Bachao Andolan at the Jantar Mantar going on for the past 15 days

"The decision to review the order of the Narmada Control Authority on heightening the dam has to carry forward the Supreme Court directive for full resettlement and rehabilitation of the dam oustees in all respects. This should include land for land compensation and provision of other basic facilities to help the displaced families to reestablish themselves. Considering the large number of villages that would get submerged, and the thousands of families who would be left homeless and destitute, it is extremely irresponsible to proceed with heightening the dam without ensuring that the villagers are properly resettled. The flouting of the Supreme Court orders in this regard amounts to an illegality, and cannot be condoned", stated the AIDWA. It re-iterated the demand that immediate priority should be given to the relief and rehabilitation measures that are to be undertaken, and until that is done satisfactorily, construction on the dam should be stopped.