Narmada Jal Satyagraha Merits Wide Support

COMMUNICATION

Due to the highly unjust policies of the authorities relating to the Indira Sagar Dam Project (ISDP), the displaced and adversely affected people have been forced to start jal satyagraha from September 1. These peaceful protestors standing in deep water are demanding justice but the authorities arrested several of them including leading activist Chittaroopa Palit and 75 other satyagrahis.

The ISDP involves truly massive displacement. This largest reservoir in India (second largest in Asia) is likely to displace about three lakh people (around 50,000 families) in three districts of Madhya Pradesh—Khandwa, Harda and Dewas. However, important norms like land for land have not been followed and the rehabili-tation work has lagged behind, with the highly distressing result that nearly 85 per cent of the oustees now face the prospects of turning into landless workers.

In addition, the authorities have also not followed the court directives according to which the water level in the dam cannot be raised beyond the level of 260 metres. Many villagers have to face illegal submergence. Due to this violation, thousands of acres of land have become islands which cannot be cultivated.

The just demands of the jal satyagraha for proper rehabilitation and restricting the water level to 260 metres should be widely supported.

Elsewhere in the Narmada valley, the oustees of the Sardar Sarovar Project have also taken out several protest demonstrations against denial of proper rehabilitation as well as release of water from upstream dams that leads to sub-mergence of their fields and houses.

Bharat Dogra
C-27, Raksha Kunj, Paschim Vihar,
New Delhi - 110063
Contact No.: 25255303