Narmada Bachao Andolan
Jail Road, Mandleshwar
District Khargone, M.P
Tel : 09425094606, 09425928007
E-mail : nobigdam sancharnet.in

Bhopal,

Around 5000 people of around 400 villages affected by 6 large dams
being built in the Narmada valley - Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar,
Maheshwar, Man, Veda and Bargi dams marched in Bhopal from Shahjahani
Park to Tin Shed in New Market where a public meeting was held today
under the aegis of the Narmada Bachao Andolan to protest against the
destruction of the Narmada valley in the name of development, and
their dispossession and forced pauperization being masked as
rehabilitation. A large number of the affected people are tribal and
women. A large number of the oustees, especially those from
Omkareshwar had to walk 35-40 kms to reach a rail head to come to
Bhopal.

The oustees expressed their disturbance and warned the Government
that if they continued with their present policy of arbitrary and
illegal exclusion of several thousand families affected at Maximum
Water Level and Back-water level of the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar
dams from the ambit of submergence and rehabilitation, not one but
several Dharajis were likely to be the consequence, with the real
likelihood of several thousand families being washed away in the
monsoon in these areas. In the last one year, the State Government
had surveyed and numbered thousands of houses in the ISP and
Omkareshwar areas at Maximum Water Level, over which a large chunk of
about 5000-6000 houses or more were finally excluded from the process
of land acquisition and rehabilitation. Naturally there was fear and
panic in the areas. Surveys at Back-water level was yet to even
begin. Meanwhile the government officials were perpetrating a reign
of terror in the villages, threatening the villagers to

break their houses with bulldozers despite protective orders from the
High Court. Several houses were broken under their compulsion and
supervision, including houses that had not been compensated. A Korku
from Village Kukdhal - Bhagirath Shivlal was beaten up when when he
refused to berak his house that had not been compensated.

The oustees asserted that they were not willing to accept this
exclusion and pauperization any more and would actively prevent the
Government from pushing them towards certain death. They stated that
their prayer to the High Court not to allow impoundment above 245
meters this year, and full closure of dam gates only after all
oustees affected at FRL and BWL had been rehabilitated as per the
requirements of the Rehabilitation Policy, Narmada Award and the
Supreme Court, was under consideration. It may be noted that the
Supreme Court had stipulated that both oustees affected at FRL and
those affected at BWL would have to be treated at par and
rehabilitated and resettled six months prior to submergence.

The oustees demanded a public audit of the actual benefits of the
large dams already built in the Narmada valley. They said that even
dams like Bargi built 20 years ago was yet to deliver commensurate
irrigation benefits. Similarly even though the Indira Sagar dam was
constructed at a reckless pace, the electricity situation in the
state has not improved substantially. Yet once again, the State
Government was hastening the pace of construction of the Maheshwar
and Omkareshwar dams putting rehabilitation aspects into abeyance.
The oustees said that even a miniscule saving in the huge T&D losses
in the state would provide more electricity than all the Narmada dams
put together.

The villagers and the Narmada Bachao Andolan stated that they would
not permit the Government to function as deputies of foreign capital
conduited thorough the Power Finance Corporation and National
Hydro-Power Corporation into private companies and public
corporations - SMHPCL and NHDC building the Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar
and Maheshwar dams or to bolster the profits of these companies by
the minimization of compensation, rehabilitation, extent of
submergence and the exclusion of oustees. Global dam builders and
power equipment suppliers were pressuring Third World governments to
build large number of dams to have assured markets but it is clear
that the popularly elected governments cannot serve the agenda of the
global companies but work to provide electricity and water benefits
for its people.

The oustees stated that there is no way that the question of
displacement of several million people of the Narmada valley could be
brushed under the carpet by overnight displacement and dispersal of
the affected people as was done in the town of Harsud where the town
people were forced to break their homes with their own hands in the
shadow of bayonets and the fait accompli of submergence. Rather, it
would become a festering wound in the body of society. In New Harsud
today, the people were facing large scale un-employment and rampant
hunger and were forced to migrate in the search of employment, and
women were now so desperate they were asserting that they sell
themselves if required rather than die of hunger. Two oustees -
Santosh Paliwal and Amrabai have committed suicide in the last three
months because of exclusion and delayed compensation.

The oustees of the Man and Upper Beda dams in the Districts of Dhar
and Khargone stated that although they were almost wholly tribal
areas and are protected by the Indian Constitution, they have been
denied even the basic land provisions in the Rehabilitation Policy
and forced to depart with small pittances in the name of
compensation. Their demand is that the Government must provide them
with a minimum of irrigated and cultivable lands.

The NBA demands that the State Government institutes a CBI enquiry
into the suicides and the large scale exclusions of several thousand
submergence families from the ambit of rehabilitation and acquisition
in the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar Projects, and rectifies the
situation immediately to prevent any more suicides. It asks the State
Government to immediately conduct surveys at Back-Water-Level in the
Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam areas and to rehabilitate and
compensate the affected people. The NBA also asks that the State
Government immediately start acquisition of tapu and unviable
villages, and villages where the majority of the lands are in
submergence as well as rehabilitate the oustees as per Rehabilitation
policy and Plan.

The NBA also demands that an Employment Guarantee Scheme on the lines
of Rural Employment Guarantee Act be initiated for the town of Harsud
by the State Government and the Harsud residents should be
distributed 5 acres of reservoir draw down land on a temporary patta
basis and given electricity facilities to cultivate the same.

Regarding the Maheshwar Project, it is clear from the recent MOEF
order that there is no rehabilitation Plan for the affected people,
and in the situation work on the dam must immediately stop. It may
also be noted that the State Government in an act of unexplained
munificience to the willful defaulters- the S.Kumars against whom
they have filed charges of criminal conspiracy have waived the
condition of grant of security to MPISDC by handing over shares of
the Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited of Rs. 30 crores
against the settlement of outstanding loan of Rs. 103 crores, as
decided in the settlement letter of 16^th September 2005. The State
Government also reduced the returnable amount from Rs. 103 crores to
Rs. 77 crores and the rate of interest from 14% to 8%. The Government
will have to explain publicly why all these concessions are being
given to a private party and willful defaulter at the cost of the
public exchequer.

Regarding the Bargi Project, the NBA demands that the earlier order
of permitting the water level to come down to 418 m by the 15^th of
December every year, so as to allow timely draw-down cultivation,
that had been cancelled in the interim be re-issued so that the
oustees who are making a living by cultivating the draw-down lands
may continue to do so.

The NBA and the people of the Narmada valley express their
determination to intensify their struggle and will be in Bhopal on
dharna for the next few days until their demands are met.

Alok Agarwal Chittaroopa Palit Shamma bi
Bhagwan Birle
ISP Dam Maheshwar Dam

Govind Bhai Banabai Mojiramji
Kehar Singh
Man Dam Upper Veda Dam Omkareshwar Dam
Bargi Dam