DAM & DISPLACEMENT-2007

(January to December 2007)

(News Clippings on Narmada dam, Bhakra dam, Baglihar project, Tehri dams, Maheshwar
project, and Omkareshwar dam)

Compiled & Edited By

K. SAMU
Human Rights Documentation,
Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, India

Construction work on Narmada dam complete, reaches 121.92mt (4)

With the press of a button, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday symbolically ended
construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam by dumping the last bucket of concrete into the structure
at Kevadia colony in Narmada district. "India has taken a leap ahead. The dam will change the
future of the country and Gujarat will benefit from it," Modi told a public function organised to mark
the completion of all concrete work on the dam, the biggest one on the Narmada river that will
provide irrigation water to four States. Modi announced he would dedicate to the nation the
Narmada power project that would generate 1450 MW of electricity by January-end in the
presence of Chief Ministers of four States that will benefit from it and all former Chief Ministers of
Gujarat. Experts associated with the project, built over 20 years, said there would be no futher
construction on the dam's structure over its current height of 121.92 metres and only 30 gates of
50 feet each will be installed within three years. The Sardar Sarovar dam, one of the costliest and
most controversial in the nation's history, will have a storage capacity of over 65,000 cusces of
water and generate 1,450 MW of power by January-end. The Narmada dam's foundation stone
was laid in 1961 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru but work on the ambitious project
began only in 1987. Since then numerous protests by Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao
Andolan (NBA) for the cause of The downside of the project, said activists opposing the
mammoth dam, has been that over 50,000 families in these states have been displaced by it.
Rich fertile land and remnants of old civilisations will also be submerged and destroyed because
of the dam, they said. Intense anti-dam protests caused a huge setback for the Gujarat
Government some years ago when the World Bank decided to stay away from the project and the
State decided to fund it on its own.Anti-dam activists are crying foul over the completion of the
dam and describe it as an 'pro-industry and anti-farmer' project.Pathkar Patkar described the
completion of the dam's construction as a 'massacre' of those affected by it. (Pioneer 2/1/07)

No dam on Narmada if no rehab, says Medha (4)

New Delhi, Jan. 2: At least 200 activists of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), led by Medha
Patkar, Swami Agnivesh and columnist-activist Praful Bidwai, staged a protest in front of Shastri
Bhavan in which the Union ministry of social justice is situated. The activists tried to barge into
the ministry to meet minister for social justice Meira Kumar but were stopped by security
personnel. The announcement by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi a couple of days ago that
the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam has reached completion and only erection of gates is
left — has caused huge disgust among the displaced tribal, farmers and fishermen as the Union
government has submitted before the Supreme Court that the height of the dam will not be raised
to 122 metres from the present 119 metres, until the relief and rehabilitation (R&R) process is
complete. "As many as 40,000 families, equal to two lakh people are displaced by this project.
The dam will inundate populated areas, schools and temples of Emperor Akbar’s time and the
government has no answer to the question of rehabilitation to this day. Union minister for water
resources Saifuddin Soz has promised that rehabilitation will be taken care of well before the
completion of the project but to no avail," Ms Patkar said. In a letter to be submitted to Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, Ms Patkar said, "The clearance and construction of the dam upto
121.92 metres is nothing but the continual violation of the National Water Disputes Tribunal Act
(NWDTA) and the Supreme Court judgements from time to time." "The report of the oversight
group led by Shunglu has confirmed NBA’s claims that R&R process of affected families in
Madhya Pradesh is far from complete as the government does not possess cultivable land and
further even the R&R sites are not ready. The rehabilitation measures are focused solely on MP.
There is no discussion of processes for rehabilitation of balance Project-affected families in
Maharashtra and Gujarat. There is a dilution and distortion of these processes as well," the letter
said. (Asian Age 3/1/07)

Nothing but violation of the tribunal award: NBA (4)

New DELHI: The families displaced by the Narmada dam continued their dharna here for the
second day on Wednesday, seeking rehabilitation and resettlement as per the Narmada Water
Disputes Tribunal Award and Supreme Court orders. Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha
Patkar said civil society groups, people's movements and like-minded individuals would launch a
National People's Movement (Action 2007) in March against displacement, privatisation and
monopolisation of resources. The call would be for an equitable, just and sustainable
development and economic policy. On Thursday, Ms. Patkar and representatives of displaced
families will meet officials of the Water Resources Ministry. They will complain against the raising
of the dam's height without rehabilitating over two lakh people in the riparian States of Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. During their meeting on Wednesday with the Chairperson of
the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Sub-group, Veena Chouthray, the NBA said the clearance
and construction of the dam up to 121.92 metres was ``nothing but continual violation of the
Narmada tribunal award and Supreme Court orders.'' It urged the sub-group to visit the
submergence villages in each tehsil, district and State to review the status of rehabilitation and
resettlement for 122 metres. The sub-group must also review the availability of cultivable land
entitlement and allotment procedure, verify the cash compensation claims and the corruption
involved. The entitlement of each oustee to replacement of livelihood should also be looked into,
it said. The NBA regretted that the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) discussions were centred
only on rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh without any talk, let alone, initiation of processes for the
rehabilitation of the remaining project-affected families in Maharashtra and Gujarat. It submitted
an Action Plan that called for recognition of the gram sabhas of the dam-affected villages,
preparation of a detailed report on the records of project-affected families, records of the affected
property (land, houses and other property), entitlements and status of rehabilitation and
rehabilitation and resettlement as per eligibility. It said the sub-group should facilitate gram
sabhas to form village and district-level committees with representation of men, women of all
class, caste, communities, occupational categories and representatives of government. The
Grievance Redress Committees should hold village and tehsil-level redress camps. There should
be survey of families on ``tapus'' (hills and hillocks) and tribal villages of Jhabua district, Badwani
district (from Kharya Bhadal to Borkhedi) and other 100 per cent tribal villages in Dhar district.
Columnist Kuldip Nayar described the raising of the dam height despite government assurances
on rehabilitation of oustees as a ``big betrayal.'' ``This is against democracy and human rights.
What is the policy we cannot understand. This Government only cares for capitalists or those who
have influence — it is a government of votes. If people cannot depend on government
assurances, the courts or the Narmada tribunal award, they will have to come into action. There
is no other recourse.'' (The Hindu 4/1/07)

``No fresh nod for raising dam height'' (4)

NEW DELHI: No fresh permission had been given for raising the height of the Narmada dam in
Gujarat, or for installation of gates on the dam beyond the current height of 122 metres, Union
Water Resources Secretary and chairperson of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) Gauri
Chatterjee told a delegation of the Narmada Bachao Andolan which met her on Thursday. This
assurance comes even as the displaced families filed a `contempt of court' petition in the
Supreme Court on Thursday for lack of rehabilitation of oustees. After an 80-minute meeting,
NBA leader Medha Patkar said Ms. Chatterjee gave a patient hearing to the project-affected
families and indicated that she would request the rehabilitation and resettlement sub-group to visit
the Narmada valley and look into the complaints on rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Gujarat. She also listened to the allegations of corruption in the cash
compensation and private land deals in Madhya Pradesh. The Government has virtually washed
its hands off from land-for-land rehabilitation. Amidst heavy police deployment at the Shram
Shakti office of the Water Resources Ministry, several representatives of the displaced families
wore black bands and held black flags against the raising of the dam height to 122 metres when
over two lakh displaced families remained to be rehabilitated. The delegation demanded full
implementation of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award, just and adequate rehabilitation
of the affected people, allotment of denuded forest land to ousted tribal families, full
compensation of losses incurred by all oustees, investigation into corruption and action against
the guilty. They sought primacy of rights to gram sabhas and implementation of the Panchayat
(Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act. Ms. Chatterjee told the delegation that the height had been
raised on the basis of the permission given in March. Ms. Patkar had resorted to a hunger strike
after the NCA gave permission to raise the dam height from 110 metres to 122 metres, following
which a three-member central Ministerial team was sent to look into the rehabilitation claims in
Madhya Pradesh. After this, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh set up a three-member Shunglu
Oversight group to look into the rehabilitation process, which had recommended review of
rehabilitation before December 31. Before that, the Gujarat Government raised the height to 122
metres. However, following the assurances by officials of the Union Water Resources and the
Social Justice and Employment Ministry, Ms. Patkar called off the three-day old sit-in at Jantar
Mantar, after vowing to continue the struggle in the valley. On Wednesday she announced the
launching of a united National People's Movement against displacement and privatisation of
resources. (The Hindu 5/1/07)

Gujarat wants dam raised to 138 m, Modi meets CMs (4)

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 7: With the completion of civil works on the Narmada dam this week,
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is clearly not losing time. Today, he met chief ministers of
the other states concerned to arrive at a consensus on the next step — raising the Sardar
Sarovar to the final height of 138 metres. But going by the ground reality in Madhya Pradesh,
permission for this may not come soon. Gujarat will have to get back to the Narmada Control
Authority for permission to install metal gates which will raise the dam’s height to a final 138
metres. Going by present trends, Madhya Pradesh is far from ready with rehabilitation of families
that will be affected when the dam is raised to 138 metres. Gujarat is in a hurry as it is only at 138
m that the power house will run to full capacity and the state will get the entire benefit of flood
control measures envisaged by the dam. On the other hand, rehabilitation issues are as
challenging: an additional 15,000 families in additional 15 villages. The number of new R&R sites
that will be required is still being counted. According to the Madhya Pradesh government ( it’s
responsible for the largest chunk of rehabilitation), the priority now is to finish work mandated by
the Shunglu committee that deals with rehabilitation issues at 121.92 metres. “The physical work
will be finished well before March 31 but we cannot say whether people will move. They only
move when there is an immediate threat of submergence,’’ said Vinod Kumar, Commissioner,
Narmada Valley Development Agency (NVDA). The Shunglu panel had been set up last year by
the Supreme Court following an agitation by Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) on grounds that
rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh had been shoddy. While the committee had not recommended
stopping construction of the dam, they had set a deadline of March 31 for the Madhya Pradesh
government to fill the gaps. The Supreme Court had endorsed the committee’s plan. According to
the process laid down by the Supreme Court, each time, Gujarat wants to raise the height of the
dam, they have to come to the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) for clearance. The clearance
comes after all the states submit their Action Taken Report (ATR) showing that all the families to
be affected by additional submergence have been rehabilitated. Gujarat wants installation of the
gates to begin as soon as soon as possible. “We would like to approach the NCA as soon as
possible, maybe next month,’’ said P K Laheri, Chairman Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited. Once
permission is granted, Gujarat government claims that they can install the gates in about 11
months. …….. (Indian Express 8/1/07)

Dam height no cause for concern, claims Govt (4)

Bhopal : The Madhya Pradesh Government has claimed that the new dam height of 121.92 mt
was not a cause of concern to project affected families, as rehabilitation of all 24421 Project
Affected Families (PAF) pertaining to the dam height had been completed. Responding to the
statements issued by some organisation regarding the so-called panic amongst the PAF of the
State due to increase of the dam height, Vice Chairman Narmada Valley Development Authority
Uday Kumar Verma informed that all displaced families of 177 villages affected by 121.92 m dam
height had already been rehabilitated. An amount of Rs 362.47 crore was disbursed to these
24421 PAFs as compensation for their immovable properties. The PAFs holding agriculture land
were given options to take land for land or special rehabilitation package. He said that only 306
families choose to take land while 3980 families accepted SRP. Out of these, 2205 families
purchased land of their own choice. The SRP has proved to be a boon to farmers. It was evident
from the fact that 2205 PAFs were holding the total of 1690 hc land had now purchased 4815 hc
land. As much as 80 rehabilitation sites were developed for resettlement of affected families.
Each of the families were provided residential plot free of cost to build house. Those who refuse
to take plot were given Rs 50,000. Verma said that rehabilitation work done by State Government
was endorsed by the Over Sight Group (OSG) constituted by Government of India. Verma
informed that before the erection of gates on the present crest level of the dam remaining
rehabilitation work pertaining to new height above 121.92 meter would be ensured. SSP had
started generating power since the year 2004. The State draws 276.45 crore power units till then,
Verma added. (Pioneer 16/1/07)

Medha slams dedication of Sardar Sarovar Project (4)

MUMBAI: Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar on Thursday criticised the
proposed dedication of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) to the people by Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi on Friday. She said this was happening despite the fact that hundreds of
displaced people had not rehabilitated yet. Ms. Patkar said Mr. Modi had invited the Chief
Ministers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and the former Chief Ministers of Gujarat to
convince them of the dam's benefits and the need to build gates on the dam wall. At the current
height of 122 metres, about 35,000 families were yet to be rehabilitated in Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra and a few in Gujarat. Various Government reports, including the Shunglu
committee's had recommended that the rehabilitation for this height must end by January 2007.
However, it had not happened. Madhya Pradesh was the worst offender. About 19,000 families
have not been resettled, besides the 6,000, who were yet to get the oustee status. In
Maharashtra, according to latest reports, 874 families were yet to be resettled and people not
being shown land by the Government. Only Gujarat had managed to resettle most of its project-
affected people as per the norms of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT), giving them
land for land. The Supreme Court too had upheld the primacy of rehabilitation before the dam
height was increased apart from land for land compensation. However, in Madhya Pradesh, cash
was being given instead of land and now the Government was saying that 2,000 people had
bought land with the cash compensation. Stating this to be untrue, Ms. Patkar said a complaint
was filed with proof with the Central Vigilance Commission to inquire into what was patently a
fraud. In this situation, to declare the dam as completed and dedicate it to the public was a
travesty and a glaring example of development without even pretence of social justice. A lot was
said about the irrigation and power benefits the dam would provide. The fact was that both were
highly over-rated, she said. Ms. Patkar also alleged that the proposed Special Economic Zones in
Gujarat fell in the command area of the SSP. The benefits of the project were going to the
corporate sector now instead of farmers. (The Hindu 19/1/07)

Exempt interest on Narmada dam project loans, Modi asks Centre (4)
KEVADIYA COLONY (GUJARAT): BJP Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on
Friday demanded the Congress-led UPA Government to ``exempt'' the interest component on the
loans for the Sardar Sarovar dam for the welfare of the tribals and sanction a ``special industrial
package'' at the Narmada basin for rehabilitation of the project-affected people. Dedicating to the
nation the 1,450 MW hydroelectric project of the Sardar Sarovar at the dam site here in Narmada
district, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi asked the Centre for this concession, if it was
``really concerned about the welfare of the tribals.'' He said he would guarantee that ``every
penny'' thus saved would be spent for the welfare of the tribals. Mr. Modi said that ``for the
Government of India, granting exemption on interest is a very small step," but feared this would
not be done because the Congress was "not serious about the welfare of the poor and
downtrodden.'' Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who was the only other
Chief Minister to attend the function, claimed that his Government was taking all necessary steps
for the rehabilitation of the project-affected. But said if the Centre was really concerned about the
rehabilitation of tribals, it should sanction a ``special industrial package.'' Pointing out that such a
special package had earlier been approved for the Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, Mr. Chauhan
said his Government was formulating the package which would be submitted to the Centre. He
alleged that the Centre sent three Ministers, followed by the Shunglu Committee, to find
``loopholes'' in the rehabilitation of the project-affected in his State, but they ended up
``appreciating'' his efforts. He said as against 6,000 families rehabilitated all these years, more
than 18,000 families had been rehabilitated during his short tenure. He assured the people of
Gujarat that his Government would speedily complete the rehabilitation of another 14,000 families
required for taking the height to the full reservoir level of 138 metres to ensure completion of the
project. Complimenting the efforts of M.P. and Maharashtra Governments for rehabilitation of the
project-affected, Mr. Modi said if the Centre ``did not come in the way,'' his dream was to
complete the entire project ready with main and sub-canal network by the ``golden jubilee year of
Gujarat'' in 2010. He advised all present to pray to God ``with folded hands'' so that ``wiser
counsel'' prevailed among all ``opponents'' of the project and it was ``allowed to be completed at
the earliest.'' Agriculture Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma said Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh was invited to the function but there was ``no response from the PMO.'' (The Hindu
20/1/07)

Dam displaced seek early hearing of petitions (4)

NEW DELHI: Even as the Gujarat Government on Friday held a public function to mark the
completion of the concrete work on the Narmada dam, the Project Affected Families n Friday
approached the Supreme Court and sought an early hearing of the contempt and also the main
petitions filed by them on their rehabilitation. The oustees had filed the contempt petition against
the Narmada Control Authority and the Narmada Valley Development Agency for allowing the
height of the dam to be raised to 121.92 metres in violation of the apex court's direction. The
court ordered that the "raising of the dam, which would cause submergence, cannot be permitted
unless rehabilitation programme is carried out," the Narmada Bachao Andolan said in a press
release here. They said the petition pending before the court was filed by the oustees affected at
the dam height of 110 metres but were not rehabilitated. (The Hindu 20/1/07)

300 more plots for Bhakra dam oustees: Virbhadra Singh (4)
SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh Government would bear the expenses of developing about 300
plots for rehabilitation of remaining oustees of Bhakra dam project, Chief Minister Virbhadra
Singh said on Tuesday. "Best efforts are being made to rehabilitate the remaining Bhakra dam
oustees by developing 300 new plots near Bilaspur district headquarters. The plot development
work will be carried out expeditiously once the initial exercise of basic planning is completed," Mr.
Singh said addressing a public meeting at Panjgain in the district. He said the Government has
already waived off the loan along with the interest taken by the oustees keeping in view their poor
economic condition. Observing that the people of the area made great sacrifice by giving their
ancestral land for the construction oi the darn, Mr.Singh said the State Government was com-
mitted to safeguard their interests. Earlier, the Chief Minister dedicated to the people of Beri a 33
KV substation constructed at a cost of Rs 70 lakh and a primary health centre building at
Opanjgain at a cost of Rs 24 lakh. Counting virtues of his winter sojourn programme, Mr.Singh
said it helped him understand the problem of the people and bring the Government at the
doorsteps of the common man. Forest Minister Ramlal Thakur and local MLA Tilak Raj Sharma
were also present. (The Hindu 24/107)

NBA: Centre given time on plea for CBI probe (4)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted four weeks to the Centre and the States of
Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on a petition for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) into the alleged routing of foreign funds received by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA)
and its other activities. A Bench consisting of Justices C.K. Thakker and Lokeshwar Singh Panta
granted time after it was brought to its notice that responses had not been filed on the petition
filed by president of the National Council for Civil Liberties V.K. Saxena. After hearing senior
counsel, Indra Jaising, who opposed the petition, the Bench directed listing of the matter after six
weeks when the maintainability of the petition would also be taken up. The court in July 2006 had
also issued notice to the NBA, through Medha Patkar and her close associate Rahul Bannerjee. It
had declined to issue notice to Ms. Patkar in her individual capacity and to the CBI observing that
the CBI would come into the picture only if the court decided to order an enquiry. In its petition,
Mr. Saxena alleged that the agitations of the NBA, led by Ms. Patkar, virtually resulted in delay
and suspension of several important hydel projects such as the Sardar Sarovar Project and the
Maheshwar Project. The petitioner said that in spite of a final report by the police, vigilance report
and hundreds of First Information Reports the authorities had not taken any action against the
NBA, its members and associates, who were getting large amounts of foreign money and local
funds to subvert various hydro projects in the country. (The Hindu 13/2/07)

India design upheld, but told to cut dam height (4)

New Delhi, Feb. 12: The neutral expert appointed by the World Bank to consider Pakistan's
objections to the Baglihar project has upheld the overall design of the dam being built by India on
the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir. In his report, Prof. Raymond Lafitte of the Federal
Institute of Technology at Lausanne, Switzerland, also cleared the Baglihar Power Project as a
run-of-river plant. He handed over his final report on Monday. The charge d'affaires in the Indian
embassy in Switzerland, Ms Radhika Lokesh, received the report on behalf of thegovernment. A
Pakistani diplomat based in that country also received the report. The report has asked India to
reduce the height of the dam by one-and-a-half metres, which was one of the objections raised by
Pakistan. The dam's height was originally proposed to be 144.5 metres. India has welcomed the
report, saying the decision of the World Bank-appointed neutral expert recognises India's right to
utilise the waters of the western rivers more effectively, within the ambit of the treaty, for power
generation. "We are very happy with the report," Union water resources minister Saifuddin Soz
told reporters. The 450-MW power project will come as a big relief to Jammu and Kashmir. The
project is designed to produce 900 MW of power. In a separate statement, the ministry of water
resources said, "[Prof. Lafitte] considers that the freeboard could be reduced by 1.5 metres. In
this context, it is to be noted that India, in the spirit of good neighbourly relations, had offered
possible reduction of freeboard to Pakistan even before the process of expert determination had
started .... [His] final determination confirms that India's design has been compliant with the basic
principles of the Indus Waters Treaty. "(He] held that the site conditions at Baglihar require a
gated spillway, that in view of the high flood discharges and heavy silt loads, India's design of
gated spillways - both chute (surface) spillway and sluice spillways - as well as the number, size
and location of their gates for the Baglihar dam complies with the design criteria set out in
Annexure D of the Indus Waters Treaty. [He] accepts and regards as prudent India's calculation
of the design flood of 16,500 cumec (as against Pakistan's figure of 14,900 cumec) in view of the
uncertainties of flood analysis, possibilities of climate change etc."…….. (Asian Age 14/2/07)

Tehri dams people from politics (4)

New Tehri (Garhwal) : While driving northwards from Rishikesh to New Tehri, two things catch
the eye. One the young pine plantations on the hitherto naked mountains and two, the singular
lack of any electoral activity. This despite the fact that Tehri, in addition to the Vidhan Sabha poll,
is also going to elect its representative to the Lok Sabha. The by-poll has been necessitated
following the death of sitting BJP MP and Maharaja of Tehri Manbendra Shah. Polling day is less
than a week away but there is a complete disconnect between the voters and the elections. The
reason is not far to seek. New Tehri is a lifeless concrete settlement. Built on a hilltop, the town is
neither a hill station nor a traditional valley settlement, where people from the neighbouring hills
converged particularly for trade. The Old Tehri town, which was submerged by the waters of the
259 metre high dam, was at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Bal Ganga in the valley. It was
the centre where villagers came to trade in grains, shop for clothes and jewellery and to attend
the Kutchery (court) and college. The main bazaar was on a flat stretch of land, where streams of
buses arrived from the upper stretches. The bus stand built in New Tehri at a huge cost has no
more than three or four buses parked overnight. "The umbilical chord between Tehri town and the
kastkars (farmers) has been snapped," says KN Bhatt, owner of a prominent hotel in Baurari, the
centre of New Tehri. The market of New Tehri has been built on a hill and in order to move from
one shop to another one has to climb up the steps. It is an arduous task especially if one has to
carry shopping bags. More importantly, the Jains and Punjabis, who were familiar faces in Old
Tehri bazaar have closed shop and left."Tehri is today a town of Government karamcharis, who
keep their families in Hardwar and Dehradun, where they return every weekend," adds Bhatt. Not
surprisingly, that the night before Congress president Sonia Gandhi's arrival to address a rally,
there are more vehicles parked with Delhi number plates than those of Uttarakhand.The
economics of dams and displacement of people has for certain given rise to a new political trend -
disenchantment. Some even call it the Tehri syndrome. ……. (Pioneer 18/2/07)

Maheshwar project oustees stage protest (4)

MUMBAI: Hundreds of villagers who will be affected by the 400 MW Maheshwar hydel power
project in Madhya Pradesh are on a two-day protest at Azad Maidan to demand a stop to the use
of public money to build the project. The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), which is leading the
protest, has pointed out several irregularities in the project and a delegation will meet the bankers
and regulators in Mumbai to explain the situation to them. The NBA said that the company
building the project, Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited (SMHPCL), had its
movable and immovable properties attached from 2002 to 2005 because it defaulted on a loan.
The properties were restored to the project promoters in 2005 on the basis of a settlement.
However, NBA activist Chittaroopa Palit told a press conference on Thursday that despite this
and in contravention of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) rules, the CARE rating
agency gave a triple A rating, which indicates a most secure instrument, to the Maheshwar
project. Three weeks ago, the NBA through its Supreme Court counsel Prashant Bhushan filed a
complaint with SEBI to withdraw the rating because the chairperson of CARE was also the
Chairperson of SMHPCL and such a rating was not permitted by SEBI. SEBI is having the matter
examined. Ms Palit and Alok Agarwal of the NBA said that the company wants to mobilise more
public funds on the basis of this CARE rating. However, it had not returned the loans taken from
other public institutions. In addition, they said IDBI was putting pressure on the Madhya Pradesh
State Industrial Development Corporation (MPSIDC) to waive Rs 29 crores on loans taken for the
Maheshwar project. Mr. Agarwal said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has
already indicted MPSIDC for sanctioning crores of rupees for the Maheshwar project. The
Economic Offences Wing in Madhya Pradesh had filed a first information report (FIR) against the
erstwhile promoters and directors of Induj Enertech Limited, the holding company of SMHPCL, for
fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy. The CAG has also indicted the Power Finance
Corporation for irregularly giving Rs. 100 crores to the project. About 61 villages will be affected
by the project and as yet there is no rehabilitation plan, he said. The Ministry of Environment had
pointed this out last June. While work on the project is continuing, the NBA says that the
livelihoods of about one lakh people are at stake. It demands a forensic audit of certain funds that
were transferred out from the project and is lobbying with public finance institutions not to finance
this project. (The Hindu 16/3/07)

Apex court rejects Medha plea (4)

New Delhi:: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to pass any order on a plea by Medha
Patkar-led NBA seeking to restrain an NGO, which has filed a PIL accusing it of receiving foreign
funds, from approaching the media with issues connected with the matter. “Why are you (NBA)
bothered about press reports? You just ignore them,” a Bench comprising Justices C K Thakker
and Altamas Kabir said when NBA’s counsel Indra Jaisinh objected to some of the recent news
reports relating to the pending PIL filed by Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil
Liberties (NCCL). Madhya Pradesh had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that the
NBA had been disrupting relief and rehabilitation work, as also working with foreigners against
the interest of the country. Sixty-two of the 120 pages of the affidavit are devoted to the alleged
criminal activities of NBA, appending details of FIRs lodged against activists disrupting
government work over the years. NCCL has been spearheading a campaign against NBA since
2000 and had filed the PIL in January 2006. (Indian Express 3/4/07)

Narmada: status report on rehabilitation sought (4)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to file a status report on the
measures taken for the relief and rehabilitation of the families affected by the Narmada dam
project. A Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices S.B. Sinha and S.H.
Kapadia gave this direction on an application filed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan alleging that
rehabilitation had not been carried out in accordance with the court's directions. Counsel for the
petitioner Sanjay Parikh said that despite its various directions, cultivable land was not made
available to the project affected families (PAF). He said "PFAs who are still not rehabilitated faced
submergence during the last monsoon when the dam height was 119 metres. The submergence
will be graver when the dam height is 121.92 metres." The petitioner wanted cultivable land made
available to the PAFs through private purchase or acquisition and relief and rehabilitation sites
with all facilities. (THE HINDU 12/4/07)

Govt reply sought on Tehri rehab (4)

NEW DELHI: : Hearing a PIL on relief and rehabilitation of those affected by Tehri dam project,
the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to file an affidavit about their status along
with rehabilitation measures taken. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan
also asked the Chief Justice of the Uttaranchal High Court to appoint a retired district judge to
head the Grievance Redressal and Monitoring Committee for relief and rehabilitation of people
affected by the rise in height of the dam. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court advised chief
ministers of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to seek intervention by the Prime Minister to
“amicably” sort out the controversy over Babli dam across Godavari river. “Since both the states
are ruled by the same government why don’t you ask the Prime Minister to intervene and find a
solution?” said a Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India. ENS (Indian Express 26/4/07)

Dam oustees' protest continues (4)

BHOPAL: The indefinite sit-in protest by the Indira Sagar dam and Omkareshwar dam oustees
which began at Khandwa district headquarters on June 4 was still continuing on Saturday while
the indefinite hunger strike by five persons, including the senior Narmada Bachao Andolan
activist Chittaroopa Palit entered its fourth day. On Friday, 89 men and women from 30 affected
villages also began a three-day hunger strike to press their demands. The protesters, led by NBA,
are demanding that the Narmada Hydro Development Corporation (NHDC) and the Madhya
Pradesh Government fulfil their obligation to resettle and rehabilitate the oustees well before
submergence. Senior NBA activist Alok Agrawal told The Hindu on Saturday that Khandwa
District Collector Nikunj Shrivastava and NHDC General Manager Sanjay Mukhariya had told
representatives of the agitating villagers during separate meetings that policy decisions on
allotment of land to adult sons and land to the landless would be taken by the State Government.
But they have gone on to assure that immediate action would be taken to address problems
linked with the rehabilitation sites. It has also been decided to provide essential services and
facilities at private rehabilitation sites. In villages where land may not be coming under
submergence but people's houses would be submerged, the villagers have received assurance
that rehabilitation sites would be allotted to them within a kilometre of the affected areas. For
families that have not received grants, NHDC has given the commitment that all complaints would
be examined and action taken on priority. The Indira Sagar Project oustees are demanding that
the farmers whose lands are coming under submergence at full reservoir level be given land for
land instead of cash compensation, as was their right under the rehabilitation policy. They are
also demanding that the adult sons and daughters of farmers be given 5 acres of land each as
"separate families", as required under the rehabilitation policy and orders of the Supreme Court.
For the landless families displaced by the Indira Sagar Project, the Narmada Bachao Andolan is
demanding that each landless family be given an oustee identity card and allotted temporary right
over land (pattas) for cultivation of the draw down land of the Indira Sagar reservoir. (The Hindu
10/6/07)

Medha Patkar criticises mega dam projects (4)

Guwahati: Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar on Sunday said mega dam
projects, being built in the north-east and elsewhere in the country, are anti-constitutional as they
are not approved by the local people. Referring to Article 243 of the Constitution that empowers
village-level bodies to formulate the Village Development Plan, she asked, "how can mega dam
projects be permitted without being planned and approved at the village-level?" Speaking at the
inaugural session of a two-day national dialogue at the Gauhati University here, Ms. Patkar
expressed concern "about the plight the people of Assam and the northeast have been subjected
to by the policy makers through attacks and onslaughts on their livelihoods in the name of
development." Over 1000 delegates, representing about 40 grass roots organisations, are part of
the dialogue organised by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Parishad and inaugurated by Vice-
Chancellor of Gauhati University Amarjyoti Choudhury. Lending her support to various people's
movement against mega hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and other parts of the
northeast, Ms. Patkar said such projects were not targeted towards the indigenous people as
beneficiaries but the big companies as beneficiaries. She appealed to the people to continue their
struggle through non-violence. About Special Economic Zones, Ms. Patkar said such zones have
virtually become "Special Exploitation Zones" and alleged that big companies do not guarantee
jobs to those displaced. She underlined the need for resolving the conflict between the people
living in the upstream of a hydel project and those affected downstream through people-to-people
dialogue and people-to-Government dialogue. Prof. Choudhury said there was a need to analyse
academically "whether we should go for large dams or small dams in the north-east." Secretary of
the Reception Committee Akhil Ranjan Dutta said national dialogue has been organised with the
objective of providing a common platform to various grassroots political movements of the north-
east engaged in the issues of land rights, development, dams and displacement, seismic survey
and oil drilling on the Brahmaputra river bed. (The Hindu 18/6/07)

Dam oustees' protest continues (4)

BHOPAL: The indefinite sit-in protest by the Indira Sagar dam and Omkareshwar dam oustees
which began at Khandwa district headquarters on June 4 was still continuing on Saturday while
the indefinite hunger strike by five persons, including the senior Narmada Bachao Andolan
activist Chittaroopa Palit entered its fourth day. On Friday, 89 men and women from 30 affected
villages also began a three-day hunger strike to press their demands. The protesters, led by NBA,
are demanding that the Narmada Hydro Development Corporation (NHDC) and the Madhya
Pradesh Government fulfil their obligation to resettle and rehabilitate the oustees well before
submergence. Senior NBA activist Alok Agrawal told The Hindu on Saturday that Khandwa
District Collector Nikunj Shrivastava and NHDC General Manager Sanjay Mukhariya had told
representatives of the agitating villagers during separate meetings that policy decisions on
allotment of land to adult sons and land to the landless would be taken by the State Government.
But they have gone on to assure that immediate action would be taken to address problems
linked with the rehabilitation sites. It has also been decided to provide essential services and
facilities at private rehabilitation sites. In villages where land may not be coming under
submergence but people's houses would be submerged, the villagers have received assurance
that rehabilitation sites would be allotted to them within a kilometre of the affected areas. For
families that have not received grants, NHDC has given the commitment that all complaints would
be examined and action taken on priority. The Indira Sagar Project oustees are demanding that
the farmers whose lands are coming under submergence at full reservoir level be given land for
land instead of cash compensation, as was their right under the rehabilitation policy. They are
also demanding that the adult sons and daughters of farmers be given 5 acres of land each as
"separate families", as required under the rehabilitation policy and orders of the Supreme Court.
For the landless families displaced by the Indira Sagar Project, the Narmada Bachao Andolan is
demanding that each landless family be given an oustee identity card and allotted temporary right
over land (pattas) for cultivation of the draw down land of the Indira Sagar reservoir. (The Hindu
10/6/07)

Rengali dam displaced villagers stage protest (4)

Bhubaneswar : Displaced people of the Rengali Dam area on Wednesday staged a
demonstration before the State Assembly and submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik. The Rengali Displaced Surakhsha Samiti, in a five-point charter of demands,
sought compensation to the villagers of Charimancha, Gotamada, Akharsila, Landijhari and
Gurusalei at the current prices of their lost lands. They demanded that the villages, including
Phulapathatkhol, Ganganan, Khorua and Keshala be turned into revenue villages. The money,
which was to be paid in 1983, is being paid in 2007. The money should be paid with interest. The
Gohira Dam displaced families would have been compensated on the lines of Rengali Dam
according to the promise of the Government, but till now they have not been rehabilitated, the
Samiti activists said. The compensation paid to different categories like A, B , C and D have not
got uniform compensation. The people of C and D category have got compensation of Rs 25,000
to 45, 000 by taking help of the law but the poor and illiterate are not able to do so. The Samiti
has been organising protests over a decade, but the land oustees have not been fully
rehabilitated according to the Government policies. (Pioneer 28/6/07)

More harm due to Narmada dams: Medha (4)

BHOPAL: Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar said here on Thursday that the
people of the Narmada valley, from Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh to Baruch in Gujarat, would
give a fitting reply if the Madhya Pradesh Government failed to address the issues linked to
resettlement and rehabilitation of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar project oustees within the
next two days. Talking to newspersons at a dharna site here, Ms. Patkar said the NBA’s just
demands were within the ambit of the Constitution, the Narmada Tribunal Award and Supreme
Court and High Court decisions.. Senior NBA activist Chittaroopa Palit and a dam-affected
villager Bhagwan Singh Mukati are on dharna . Thursday was the 30th day of their hunger strike.
The fact that two persons were sitting on fast for 30 days showed how insensitive the Madhya
Pradesh Government was. The issue of resettlement was not being addressed properly by the
State Government. People were being denied “land for land.” Ms. Patkar alleged that the
Omkareshwar reservoir was filled up on the basis of a false affidavit and the Bharatiya Janata
Party-led State Government had unnecessarily been treating the matter as a prestige issue. She
said: “despite the big dams, we are witnessing floods every where.” The Narmada Valley projects
have done more harm than good. They had displaced many people. The State Government stood
exposed as it was bent upon destroying one of the oldest river valley civilisations. A frail and
weak Ms. Palit said she was ready to face death in the course of her fight for the cause of the
dam-affected people. She accused the Shivraj Singh Chauhan Government of neglecting the “just
demands” of the Narmada oustees and bulldozing their rights. She said that the NBA had a 16-
point charter of demands and the State Government, instead of issuing orders on these
demands, was talking of setting up a committee to consider these demands. This was not
acceptable to the NBA, she asserted. Though the Omkareshwar reservoir was filled up, there had
been no testing and not a single turbine started so far. This showed that the dam was a complete
failure. Senior NBA activist Alok Agrawal told mediapersons that in the last two days, they met
Minister of State for Home Nagendra Singh twice and sought a meeting with the Chief Minister.
(The Hindu 6/7/07

Allegations against NBA vague: apex court (4)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a public interest litigation petition seeking a
CBI probe into the Narmada Bachao Andolan’s alleged illegal activities using foreign funds. A
Bench consisting of Justices C. Thakker and Altamas Kabir said: “Materials in the petition show
vague allegations and [are] without foundation. No case is made out for a CBI probe.” It imposed
costs of Rs. 5,000 on the petitioner, the Ahmedabad-based NGO, National Council for Civil
Liberties (NCCL). The court in July 2006 issued notice to the NBA, through Medha Patkar and her
close associate Rahul Bannerjee. It declined to issue notice to Ms. Patkar in her individual
capacity and to the Central Bureau of Investigation, observing that the CBI would come into the
picture only if the court decided to order an enquiry. V.K. Saxena, NCCL president, alleged that
the NBA through Ms. Patkar was acting at the behest of foreign powers and creating political
instability in the country with funds received from abroad. The NBA’s agitations virtually resulted
in delay and suspension of several important hydel projects such as Sardar Sarovar and
Maheshwar. In spite of the final report by the police, the vigilance report and hundreds of first
information reports, the authorities did not taken any action against the NBA, its members and
associates. Mr. Saxena said there was an urgent need for issuing appropriate directions and
guidelines to the Centre and State Governments to ensure that activities of the NBA and similar
organisations causing a detrimental impact, jeopardising the national interest were nipped in the
bud by stringent action. He alleged that the damaging and irreparable impact of the NBA’s
activities were violative of the fundamental rights of the general public and all beneficiaries of
hydel projects. Contending that the petition was filed to settle personal scores, the NBA said the
NCCL suppressed some crucial facts and misused the judiciary by filing a PIL plea. The Centre
submitted that it received a complaint in 2002 alleging receipt of funds by the NBA and that the
Andolan had violated the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976. It said, “The matter was
investigated in some detail under the provisions of the said Act. The accounts/records of the NBA
and a number of NGOs associated with it were inspected but no specific instance of any violation
of the FCRA was detected.” Reacting to the judgment, the NBA said, “This is a great moral victory
and triumph of truth that is an apt reply to the vilification campaign. Attempts to defame and
demoralise people’s movements with false and baseless allegations should now be put to rest.”
(The Hindu 11/7/07)

Arunachal tribe fears wipeout by dam project (4)

Guwahati, July 10: Idu Mishmi, a 12,000 strong community, fears a wipe out because of the
proposed 3,000 MW Dibang multipurpose project. It is a hydropower-cum-flood moderation
project in Arunachal Pradesh. “We are not against development. Who does not want
development? But it cannot be at the cost of the very existence of our community,” said Mite
Lingi, general secretary of Idu Cultural and Literary Society, one of the several local organisations
opposing the construction of the dam. He said the Idu Mishmi tribals have been taken for a ride
due to their ignorance “because our people had neither heard of a dam nor how hydro-electric
power is produced.” The Dibang project will have a 288-m high dam and is being implemented by
the National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation, which has not only signed an MoU with the state
Government for a JVC, but has also given a loan of Rs 225 crore to the Government to revive a
local bank. “Initially our villagers thought it was just another survey. But when people began
talking about submergence of the area and displacement of villagers, fear started gripping the
entire community,” Lingi told The Indian Express over the phone from Roing in the Lower Dibang
Valley district. “Fear intensified when the authorities issued notice for a public hearing a couple of
weeks ago. The people had never heard of something called public hearing,” he said. The
hearing has been put off till November following a PIL filed by Jibi Pulu, a social activist and eco-
tourism promoter. “But that’s only temporary relief,” he said, adding that the arrival of several
thousand labourers from outside the state will have a serious impact on the demography and
economy of the region. The Idu Cultural and Literary Society and All Idu Mishmi Students Union,
which have also roped in Kalpavriksh, a Pune-based environment group to help out, has
complained that the Environment Impact Assessment report prepared by the National Productivity
Council was “totally faulty”. “Dibang Valley is part of a bio-diversity hotspot that comprises the
Eastern Himalayas and Arunachal Pradesh. But the EIA report could find only two species of
butterflies in the area. The EIA also report admits, in page 44, that it was not possible for a
detailed survey due to short span of time given to them,” Lingi said. (Indian Express 11/7/07)

NBA calls off dharna (4)

BHOPAL: The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) on Thursday called off its dharna and fast in the
Madhya Pradesh capital. However, it announced that their struggle would continue. They would
be back here on September 30 either to intensify their struggle or celebrate their victory on the
issue of rehabilitation of the Indira Sagara and Omkareshwar Project affected people. The
decision to call off the dharna came after an aborted meeting between representatives of the NBA
and Minister of State for Home Nagendra Singh earlier on Thursday. Senior NBA activist
Cittaroopa Palit told mediapersons just before breaking her indefinite fast on its 37th day that she
was not afraid of death. They were only moving ahead and starting the next phase of their
agitation in the villages. Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party led State Government, she said:
“Any government that tries to defeat the people cannot continue to stay in power.” Ms. Palit said
over 50,000 people would again assemble here on September 30 and before that the
Government would have to accept all their 17 demands. (The Hindu 13/7/07)

Plea to keep humanitarian aspect in mind while rehabilitating oustees (4)

Bhopal : Narmada Valley Development Authority chief secretary and chairman Rakesh Sahni has
directed the officials to look into the practical problems of oustees with utmost priority and
sincerity besides rehabilitating the project-affected families, according to the rehabilitation
provisions. Sahni emphasised the need to keep in view the humanitarian aspect of rehabilitation
while discharging the duties. He said that looking at the ground realities necessary dissension
should be taken without delay. He instructed the commissioner of Indore Division to visit all the
rehabilitation sites of the project and find out the need of upgrade of basic facilities or requirement
of new one. Sahni asked to chalk out time bound programme for shifting of PAFs to rehabilitation
sites and its implementation be assured by commissioner of Indore. He stressed the need to
motivate the PAFs by field officers.Narmada Valley Development Authority principal secretary
and vice chairman Uday Kumar Varma informed that 87 out of total 88 rehabilitation sites
required had been developed. The work is in progress at one site. Acting on the
recommendations of Shunglu committee the upgrade work of 35 rehabilitation sites had been
completed. Varma informed that 63 percent of farmers who had opted for special rehabilitation
package, (SRP) had purchased the land of their choice. A total of 1856.474 hectare land was
acquired from these farmers who had now purchased a total 5783.615 hectare of land. The chief
secretary has asked the collectors to take stern action against those who found guilty to mislead
the PAFs to obtain fake registrations of agriculture land to get the SRP. (Pioneer 25/7/07)

Medha not freed (4)

BHOPAL: While the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader, Medha Patkar, and another activist,
Ashish Mandloi, continued to remain lodged in jail, all the other tribals and farmers, who were
arrested last week near Badwani, were released from the Badwani Jail on Tuesday. Ms. Patkar
was arrested on July 25 and detained at the Indore Central Jail. She was leading an agitation,
described by the NBA as “the struggle for land-based rehabilitation,” which took the form of
forcible occupation of government farmland at Taloon (near Badwani) by the Sardar Sarovar and
other Narmada Valley dam-affected tribals, farmers, landless labourers and fish-workers.(The
Hindu 1/8/07)

Grievance body disposes of 11,088 cases (4)

Bhopal : The Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA), constituted by the State Government for the
judicious disposal of grievances of the families affected by the projects of Narmada Valley
complex excluding SSP has disposed of 11,088 cases so far. The GRA had received a total of
14,805 applications from the affected families of Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar and Maan project
The GRA official informed that process of disposal of applications received from Indira Sagar,
Omkareshwar, and Maan was also in progress. It may be mentioned that the GRA, headed by
former additional chief secretary Ravindra Sharma comprises an administration and a judicial
member. The decisions of the GRA are binding upon State Government. Ravindra Sharma,
Chairman, GRA informed that to facilitate the affected families, camp courts had been organised
in ISP affected areas for hearing the complaints. The GRA has so far disposed 9569 applications
pertaining to ISP, 1291 applications to Maan project and 228 applications pertaining to
Omkareshwar project. (Pioneer 10/8/07)

SC: Status quo on Narmada water (4)

NEW DELHI:: While refusing to direct the lowering of water levels of the Omkareshwar dam on
river Narmada from 190 to 189 metres, the Supreme Court has instead ordered the authorities to
maintain status quo. The Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said there cannot be
an interim order to reduce the level of water, even as the Madhya Pradesh Government and the
Narmada Hydro-Electric Development Corporation urged the court to reduce the level from 190 to
189 metres. However, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan and Sanjay Parikh appearing for Narmada
Bachao Andolan strongly opposed the petition of the state Government. (Indian Express 25/8/07)

Police pick up Medha Patkar (4)

MUMBAI: Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar was picked up by the Mumbai police
on Monday evening while she was leaving the State Secretariat after an inter-State meeting on
rehabilitation issues concerning the Sardar Sarovar Project. Ms. Patkar was taken to the Marine
Drive police station along with other activists of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. NBA sources said
that several project-affected people had gathered outside the Secretariat in the evening to protest
against the proposed increase in the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam. The police are estimated
to have picked up 100 people who were demonstrating, demanding that the construction of the
dam be stopped. (The Hindu 4/9/07)

Keep Omkareshwar dam height at 189 metres: SC (4)

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Madhya Pradesh Government to
"endeavour" to keep the height of the Omkareshwar dam at 189 metres. Amid demands by NGO
Narmada Bachao Andolan to bring down the dam height as there was a danger of 25 villages
being submerged, the court made a guarded statement to make the State Government conscious
of its duty to rehabilitate the oustees while at the same time refusing to put any restraint on its
height. "Relief and rehabilitation of the oustees are most important aspect. We have been hearing
about it for a long time," said a Bench of Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice RV
Raveendran. The Bench noted the concerns of the NGO despite opposition from the State and
the Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation. Without going into the contentions raised
by either parties, the court maintained that it was up to the State to keep the level fixed at 189
metres than to fluctuate it to 190 metres. Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan and advocate Sanjay
Parikh argued that it was "ridiculous" the manner in which the Government went about increasing
the height by submerging 25 villages. (Pioneer 6/9/07)

Court orders relief for NBA activists (4)

BHOPAL, SEPTEMBER 25: Holding the arrest of Narmada Bachao Andolan activists, who were
protesting in Badwani in support of various demands, as violation of their fundamental rights, the
Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday ordered the state Government to pay compensation of
Rs 10,000 each to all those held. As many as 91 people, including 26 women, from Jhabua, Dhar
and Badwani districts were arrested by the administration on July 25 and lodged in Indore and
Badwani jails. They had been protesting under the banner of the NBA since July 13 demanding
land in lieu of that acquired under the Sardar Sarovar Project as also fishing rights and alternative
employment for the landless. On July 25, the police arrested 150 protesters and barring 91,
released the rest on personal bonds. NBA leaders Medha Patkar and Ashish Mandloi were kept
in Indore Jail till August 5. Patkar wrote a letter from jail to Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh
High Court A K Patnaik, accusing the administration of using force to remove activists from the
dharna site though their protest was peaceful. The High Court treated the letter as a petition and
asked the Government to file its response. At the NBA’s request, the court also saw a CD
submitted by the Andolan and five Government cassettes that contained visuals at the time of
arrests. In its affidavit the Government had justified the arrest saying the activists had assaulted a
Government official. The police had also accused the activists of working against the Government
and misleading tribals. Advocate General R N Singh told The Indian Express that the
Government would file an appeal against the order in the Supreme Court. In its affidavit, the
Government said it had resorted to arrests only after making repeated requests to activists to call
off the agitation, and that no force was used even though the activists had uprooted trees. A
division bench comprising the Chief Justice and Justice Ajit Singh, however, did not agree with
the Government and said its action violated the fundamental rights enjoyed by protesters under
Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. According to NBA advocate N S Kale, the Government had
also been asked to probe the matter and, if it finds suitable, to recover the costs from the officials
responsible. (Indian Express 26/9/07)

“Talks on to increase height of Soranavour bed dam” (4)

PUDUCHERRY: The Governments of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu on Monday entered into a
formal agreement to share water through Soranavour bed dam in Villupuram district from
Pennaiyar River. The agreement, which comes into effect from 1969 after the bed bam was
constructed, would facilitate irrigation of 6,053 acres of cultivable land in both the States. The bed
bam, constructed by the Puducherry Government, helped to divert water from Pennaiyar at the
rate of 210 cusecs to Bangaru Channel, which traverses through 8 villages in Tamil Nadu and 13
other villages in Puducherry, during the monsoon period. As per the agreement, water received at
the bed bam should be distributed in the 3:10 ratio between the ayacut lower down the anicut and
the ayacut under the Bangaru Channel, which had been already marked. The ratio should be
revised every 20 years, as per the agreement. The data on gauging and quantum of water
released to both the ayacuts had to be collected by the Public Works Department of Tamil Nadu
and made available to the officers of both the States. The control and regulation of water at the
anicut head sluice and scouring sluice should be the responsibility of the Government of Tamil
Nadu. The charges towards the maintenance of the bed dam should be borne by the Puducherry
Government, the accord said. The agreement was signed by P. Raman, Engineer-in-Chief of
Water Resources Organisation for the Tamil Nadu Government and C. Anandane, Chief
Engineer, Public Works Department for the Pondicherry Government. Speaking after signing the
agreement, Mr. Raman said any alteration to the bed dam or change in the ratio of water sharing
would be decided after mutual consultation. The terms and conditions of the agreement were
valid for a period of 60 years, he added. Mr. Anandane said preliminary discussions were on with
the Tamil Nadu government to increase the height of the bed bam from its present level of 60 cm.
(The Hindu 16/10/07)

Settlement policy for oustees is ‘tricky’ (4)

New Delhi, Oct. 21: Narmada Bachao Andolan has said that the suggestions of people affected
by displacement and people’s movement were ignored by the government while the rehabilitation
and resettlement policy was being formulated. They said that the policy, which was declared, was
tricky and the fate of affected people was not quite protected by the policy. The R&R policy
declared by the government, is highly complicated and bit confusing and at the same time
deceptive also, said NBA in a statement signed by Medha Patkar and other activists. They said
while keeping the Land Acquisition Act intact, the UPA government has resorted to partial
betrayal of the farmers and all others who are made to sacrifice for development projects. While
the complete draft of the policy is not yet available, various press statements indicate that the
policy would be facilitative more to the interests of the corporates and developers than the
affected populations. The first and the foremost change to be noted is that while the demand by
people’s movements to abolish Land Acquisition Act of 1894 is met with mixed response on one
hand, the definition and scope of "Public Purpose" has been itself enlarged to include the private
interests with a bit addendum that it should have some public purpose to be met. The assurance
for providing employment is only in the form of preference and subject to availability of vacancies
and suitability of the affected persons and not as a guarantee. The second most important aspect
is the assurance, that 70 per cent of the total land required will have to be purchased by the
company/corporates and the rest of the 30 per cent will be compulsory acquired by governments.
How and why has the earlier announcement of keeping it at 90-10 ratio been changed is the
question that goes un-answered. It is also not clear that whether whole of the policy will be
applicable to those who would be selling their land. Land for land-based rehabilitation is also
subject to "ifs" and "buts" and only to the "extent available". It is a known fact that the only land
available with government authorities is either wasteland or non-cultivable. (Asian Age 22/10/07)

Intelligence agencies warn of threat to Hirakud Dam (4)

Bhubaneswar : Intelligence agencies in a report have stated that there was a potential threat from
Maoists, terrorists and anti-social elements to the Hirakud dam in Sambalpur. The report also
stated that nine places in the dam were vulnerable to an attack by subversive elements. Sources
said the Water Resources Department had also requested the Home Department to enhance
security for the dam to foil any attack from terrorists or Leftwing guerillas. Engineer-in-chief of the
Water Resources Department Harischandra Behera admitted that a meeting was held with the
Home Department officials to deliberate about the potential threat to Hirakud dam and the
measures to counter any kind of eventuality. He suggested that security measures should be
stepped up and close circuit cameras should be installed to keep a hawk's eye on the dam and
potential mischief mongers. The report also suggested to construct a fence for the power house
and also to install metal detectors. Sources said presently 30 security personnel led by a Deputy
Superintendent of Police are engaged to provide security to the dam. However, Sambalpur
Superintendent of Police Sanjay Singh said periodically the security measures were being
reviewed and if required more security personnel would be deployed. However, what gives
credence to the report is that Maoists are active in Sambalpur district and have indulged in
sporadic violence. The Red Brigade have many times targeted vital installations, infrastructure
and communication facilities (Pioneer 25/10/07)

NBA protests violence (4)

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of people affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam took a motorcycle rally
through the streets of Badwani in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday and raised the slogan “Narmada
se Nandigram ki ladai ek hain [The struggle, from Narmada to Nandigram, is the same] ” in
support of the fast by social activist Medha Patkar in West Bengal. The supporters of the
Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) protested not only the attack on Ms. Patkar but also the “neo-
liberal, anti-farmer, land-grabbing” policies of the government that would leave thousands of
farmers landless and displaced. (Ms. Patkar’s convoy was attacked en route to Nandigram on
Thursday.) A memorandum to this effect addressed to the Governor of West Bengal, was
submitted to the authorities in Badwani. Condemning the attack, NBA activist Ashish Mandloi said
the people of Nandigram were not alone in their struggle. The people of the Narmada valley were
with them. “The new economic policies of the government cater to multi-national corporations at
the expense of the people of Nandigram. This is epitomised by the chemical hub proposed for
DOW Chemicals, formerly Union Carbide, notorious for the Bhopal gas tragedy and its complete
disregard for the health and welfare of the community there.” He condemned the manner in which
the CPI(M) government and its cadre in West Bengal had created a “war-like situation” in
Nandigram. He also said that the attack on Ms. Patkar and others was to quell resistance, but this
would not work and the voices would only get louder and stronger. “Medha Patkar, along with
other activists of Narmada Bachao Andolan, have been working peacefully with the CPI(M) in
other States on various issues, and have regularly been visiting Nandigram since the struggle for
land began there. The response of the CPI(M) government is undemocratic, at the very least. The
attack on Medha Patkar is a message to the rest of the world that any outside interference in the
struggle at Nandigram will not be tolerated by those in power,” he said. Among those who signed
the memorandum were Umesh Patidar, Kailash Awasya, Kamala Yadav, Sukram Tadvi and
Clifton D’ Rozario. (The Hindu 11/11/07)

Andhra dam to submerge 5,000 acres in Orissa (4)

Bhubaneswar : The high dam, which is under construction by the Andhra Pradesh Government
on the Janjabati river, would submerge at least 5,000 acres of land in 12 villages in Bandhugaon
block when it is completed. The Orissa Government is, however, silent on it, alleged the Chasi
Mulia Adibasi Sangh, a forum of tribal and other landless peasants working in Koraput and
Rayagada districts.The construction is going on in the name of the so-called green revolution, but
it would have serious consequences for the existence and livelihood of thousands of tribals, the
Sangh said. (Pioneer 6/12/07)