All posts tagged Narmada River

In Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, no Narmada water for dalits #WTFnews


Fact-finding Report on Implementation of Food Security Programme in Kalahandi district, Odisha

Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN Apr 10, 2013,

CHITALIYA (RAJKOT): In the villages of Jasdan taluka in drought-hit Saurashtra, dalit women prefer to remain silent. That’s for the fear of the upper castes in a state whose chief minister Narendra Modi is busy trying to conjure up an eclectic image to subserve his perceived prime ministerial ambitions for 2014 polls.

“Those people (upper castes) will abuse us again if we speak,” mumbled one of the women, only to be given a warning look by the others.

The water scarcity in Saurashtra is due to deficient rainfall, but the calamity is man-made for the dalits. Members of the community claim they are not allowed access to Narmada water, the only source of drinking water, by upper caste members. Ironically, upper caste farmers have their own borewells and don’t need Narmada water as much.

The dalits in ten villages of the taluka allege they are not even allowed to draw water from the main sump. “We have to listen to casteist remarks and are even threatened if we get close to the sump,” said Jaya Makwana, who fetches water under scorching sun from a source 3km farther. The worst affected are villages of Chitaliya, Khadvavadi, Kanesara, Parevala, Jivapar, Nani Lakhavad, Kothi, Barvala and Devdhari. There are around 100 dalit families in each village dominated by Kolis.

Unable to bear both injustice and thirst, women from these villages recently approached the deputy collector with their tale of woes. But the women were allegedly threatened on their return for taking up the issue with the authorities. “Should we remain thirsty because we are untouchables?” Makwana fumed.

Narmada water in Chitaliya is so erratic that villagers would not even get supply once a week. After the trip to the deputy collector’s office, water is being released once in five days. But the dalits say the main sump is still off-limits for them while the small one doesn’t get a drop.

The sump in the dailt area of Kothi village was never connected with the Narmada pipeline. “Our only source was a hand-pump which went dry last month,” said Maniben Makwana, 65, a dalit.

“We are looking into complaints of discrimination. We have also directed the water resources department to connect hand-pumps to the pipeline,” deputy collector R H Gadhavi said.

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by kracktivist on April 11, 2013  •  Permalink
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Amenities elude Sardar Sarovar evictees


ANNU ANAND, The Hindu

Makeshift existence: Life at Anjanwada village. Photo: Annu Anand
Makeshift existence: Life at Anjanwada village. Photo: Annu Anand

Displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project, hundreds living on the hills lining the Narmada banks are denied basic amenities

A satisfied smile flashes across Chuna’s face. At least for few months, she won’t have to worry about feeding her children. Leaving behind all the day’s work, 35-year-old Sarla was also rushing to the village outskirts. She didn’t want to let this opportunity go.

Just like Chuna and Sarla, all men and women were running towards the village end, near the bank of the river, where in the name of a ration shop, wheat, sugar and salt were scattered on the ground. The village was getting PDS grains after a gap of six months. Running towards this makeshift ration shop, the villagers were simultaneously worried by the thought that the PDS shopkeeper may leave before they reach and their children may have to face hunger and starvation again.

This was the scene in Bhitada village in Madhya Pradesh’s Alirajpur district — one of the villages that have been affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project. One can reach this village only after travelling 44 km by road followed by a one-hour travel boat ride and a three-km-long walk. The whole village has been divided into five clusters or falias and these clusters are inhabited by about 350 families. Each cluster is at a distance of about two km.

According to the draft Food Security Bill, it is the responsibility of the State government to ensure that each family below the poverty line gets subsidised ration from the PDS shops. But families living on the bank of Narmada — affected by the Sardar Sarovar project and inadequate rehabilitation — are forced to live on the mercy of government officials for their day-to-day sustenance. They get rations after months on end and that too for only a few hours. By the time the news of ration arriving spreads in their scattered homes in the village, the makeshift PDS shop gets dismantled. Nandla Bhai who came to deliver PDS ration was selling the salt costing Re. one a packet for Rs. 5 to the villagers. He justifies his action saying, “Transporting the ration over such a distance increases the cost of the goods.” But transport charges are being paid by the government! Nandla didn’t have any answer.

There are 15 villages in the Alirajpur district that are surrounded by the Narmada due to the dam project. As the dam’s height kept on increasing, these villages got submerged leading to loss of land and homes. Improper rehabilitation has led these villagers to struggle for their basic needs like food, health and livelihood. Government schemes like PDS, mid-day meal, MGNREGA and anganwadi are implemented in these villages in the official records but because of inaccessibility, their scattered nature and inefficiency and corruption on the part of the government, most of these schemes remain exist only on paper.

Around 13 years ago, these villages were filled with lush green fields. There was a road to reach the village. But beginning from 1996, these villages started getting affected. By 2000, their farms and houses were completely submerged. In this situation, many villagers had to seek shelter in the hills that line the bank of Narmada. The rocky nature of these hills makes it difficult for the villagers to even find a place to set up their homes.

Anjanwada is one such village. The health, school facilities and nutrition for children here remain a challenge. The population of this village is around 360. The government has started a primary school for the children in the village but for most of the children, the school is only accessible by an arduous boat ride or an hour long walk through the rocky terrain. The school and the anganwadi are situated at the same place. The anganwadi is unable to provide nutrition to needy children since it is difficult for them to cross the river or cover the long distance daily. There is no health centre in the village. Electricity and roads still seem like a distant dream for these villagers.

Khajan Singh of Anjanwada lost his 12-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son three years ago as he couldn’t provide them timely treatment. The nearest health sub centre is located in Kakrana, 12 km away and can only be reached by a two-hour-long boat ride from Anjanwada.

The Madhya Pradesh government claims that all 45,000 displaced in the Sardar Sarovar Project have been given adequate compensation. Meera Kumari of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), however, says, “ Nearly 3,300 families have been given the first instalment of cash component. But due to the Fake Registry Scam, they have been unable to buy the land. As of now, the matter is in High Court.”

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by kracktivist on March 24, 2013  •  Permalink
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Narmada Bachao Andolan is not against development


‘We are not against development’

Dev Ram Kanera, a farmer from Khaparkheda village in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, has been raising his voice against the injustice wrought by dams in the Narmada Valley. He talks about three decades of struggle.

Dev Ram Kanera
Dev Ram Kanera, 59, Activist, Narmada Bachao AndolanPhoto: Sarang Sena

EDITED EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW

How did it all begin?
It was towards the end of the 1970s. The struggle against dams in the Narmada Valley was still in the initial stages. One day I was returning to my village from the market on a bicycle and stopped at a tea stall. I met a group of four or five persons, including a young woman. She asked me the name of my village. I told her. She said my village came under the submergence zone, that my house, fields and granary will all go under water. She asked me if I knew what I would get in lieu of what I would lose. I had no clue about all this. Then she said that we should ask the government. The woman was Medha Patkar, and that was the day I joined the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

What change have you experienced since joining the movement?
Of course, there was change. Only those who remained committed to the movement could get their voices heard, to some extent at least. The compensation rates were raised. The government agreed not to raise the height of the dam. But those who did not do anything and stayed away from the movement faced the greatest injustice. They got almost nothing for the land and houses that they gave up.

What exactly have you been opposing?
We are not against development. We are only opposing the way in which development is being imposed on people. Our houses and fields are being submerged in the name of generating electricity, but the electricity does not reach us. We don’t want as much electricity as a five-star hotel demands, we ask for only the minimum that we need. But even that eludes us. In short, the very people who sacrifice the most for development are the ones who are ignored the most in the process. This cannot go on.

Vikas Bahuguna is Chief Copy Editor, Tehelka Hindi.
vikas@tehelka.com

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by kracktivist on November 10, 2012  •  Permalink
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DNA investigation: Sardar Sarovar Project hit by illegal mining


Published: Saturday, Oct 13, 2012, 8:44 IST
By Sandeep Pai | Place: Indore | Agency: DNA

Rampant illegal sand mining across the Narmada valley on land acquired by the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) from oustees of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is not only threatening the delicate ecological balance of the area but could also reduce the project life of the dam.

While truckloads of sand is being mined without any permission, the activity also contravenes the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award of 1979, which expressly states that land acquired for the SSP may be used only for agriculture or for reservoirs.

The project life of the SSP, meant to irrigate 18 lakh hectares of land in Gujarat, 75,000 hectares in Rajasthan and 37,500 hectares in Maharashtra, is expected to be reduced because the mining is in the dam’s submergence areas, environmentalists say.

The illegal mining started after the collectors’ of the Badwani, Alirajpur, Khargone and Dhar districts in MP gave out mining licences on government lands adjacent to the NVDA’s acquired land. The licences were granted once in 2009
and again in 2011, for a period of two years.

The mining contracts are themselves a subject of debate as the government lands also lie in the submergence areas on both sides of the Narmada River. But more dangerously, illegal miners are now blatantly breaching boundaries of assigned mining areas, extracting sand instead from areas acquired by the NVDA.

In response to a Right to Information application, the NVDA has stated that it has not leased any land. “Thus, any mining activity on their land is illegal,” says social activist Medha Patkar, who has repeatedly raised the issue with the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) over the last two years.

Over 100 complaint letters were written during the same period by individual villagers and by panchayat representatives to police officers and district collectors. However, no action has been taken.
At least half a dozen gram sabhas have passed resolutions stating that prior approval of the gram sabha has not been obtained for the mining activity. The resolutions all state that the sand mining should be stopped.
Activists estimate the loss to the exchequer to be about Rs100 crore per year. In 2011, after a complaint about illegal mining in the submergence areas of SSP, the collector of Badwani conducted an investigation in two villages — Pendra and Barda — and recovered Rs3 crore in fines from illegal miners. “If we calculate for even 40-50 villages, the amount of revenue loss would exceed a few hundred crores per year,” said Srikant, an activist with Narmada Bachao Aandolan (NBA). As many as 192 villages are directly impacted by the SSP.

The collector’s report even named members of the sand mining mafia of the Badwani district, but no prosecution was initiated.
One complaint by the NBA to Union minister for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan in August said the government is on one hand spending crores of rupees for “catchment area treatment” that is mandatory as per the environment clearances issued to the SSP, and on the other hand is a mute spectator to hundreds of truckloads of mud, the topsoil discarded by sand miners, is being thrown into the reservoir. This could seriously affect the lifespan of the project, the NBA complaint pointed out.
A visit to the villages shows complete disregard for rules and the environment. In Perkhard village in Dhar district, huge heaps of top soil and even trees uprooted by miners have been thrown into the river. Large tracts of land acquired by the NVDA have turned into trenches due to unabated mining.

In Chottabarda village in Badwani district, DNA saw several trucks ferrying tonnes of sand. “On one side we have the Narmada and on the other we have these huge sand mining trenches. When the rains came this year, an entire settlement of fish workers was not able to move out – they were surrounded by water on all sides,” said Dayaram Yadav, former sarpanch of Chottabarda.

Villagers who protest are threatened, even assaulted, say villagers. “When I tried to stop the miners, they tried to strangle me,” said Om Prakash, from Piplav village in Badwani.

Complaints sent to the central government’s Narmada Control Authority and the NVDA were just forwarded to district collectors, to which the standard official response has been that no illegal mining is underway.

Afroz Ahmed, NCA director, said that whatever complaints he got were forwarded to the NVDA. “I have not received any reply from NVDA despite reminders,” said Ahmed. On his part, joint director of NVDA AK Khare simply denied that any illegal activity was going on. “All allegations are false,” he said.

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by kracktivist on October 15, 2012  •  Permalink
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Narendra Modi Fakes Narmada Canal High Income Story in Worst Drought Year #mustshare


There was story of ‘Gujaratis don’t have money to spend on education’ on Sep25 within a week Modi planted FAKE story of High Income of farmers in Narmada Canal command area.

This Education Year farmers in Gujarat ‘Invested in Raising New Crops’ but Monsoon was delayed by two months and there was 60% to 80% crop loss.

CAG had reported in normal rainfall year – Narmada Canal served just 6.56% of Narmada Command area or  utilization of 1.2 lakh hectares out of 18 lakh hectares 2009-10 but dubious Private Institute claimed farmers have more money to spend and claimed 6 lakh hectares utilization. 

Gujaratis don’t have money to spend on education: National Survey

TNN Sep 25, 2012

AHMEDABAD: How much can a parent spend for higher education for their children in the state? The National Sample Survey (NSS) report, “Key Indicators of Household Consumer Expenditure in India”, in 2011 had revealed that Gujarat’s average monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) – considered measure of the ability to spend – is just a paltry Rs 1,110 in rural areas, and unimpressive Rs 1,909 in urban areas.

Higher education fees run into lakhs of rupees, which makes it inaccessible to a large section of society. The 2011 NSS report suggests that Gujarat’s MPCE in rural areas is lower than seven other states, including Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.

Things are not rosy in urban Gujarat, too. If Gujarat ranks eighth in rural MPCE, the state’s urban MPCE rank is tenth and states including Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana are way ahead. Worse, on both the counts, Gujarat has slipped since 2005, the NSS study suggests.

“Ironically, the state government had worked out an average per capita income of Rs 45,000 in 2009-10, but interestingly, the spending power is just a paltry Rs1,100 per capita per month. This only points to a large economic gap in the society,” says a senior state government official.

Gujaratis don’t have money to spend on education: National Survey

Narmada brings sharp rise in incomes

Farmers Spending More On Kids’ Education; Expenditure On Nutrition Has Increased: Study

Rajiv Shah TNN Oct 01, 2012
Gandhinagar: A high-level study carried out by Hyderabad-based Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy has said that thanks the availability of Narmada waters, incomes of the farmers have substantially gone up in about six lakh hectares (ha) where canal waters have reached since 2007. Just submitted to the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), the study says that farmers who have shifted to cash crops have particularly gained. Their net incomes from cotton increased by Rs 70,977 per ha in Bharuch, Rs 69,399 per ha in Vadodara, and Rs 49,568 per ha in Panchmahal.
From castor, an exceptionally high increase in net income was in Bharuch (Rs 94,279 per ha). From fennel grown in Mehsana, it was Rs 55,363 per ha, from cumin in Surendranagar, which was introduced after the arrival of canal water, the farmers started earning Rs 49,350 per ha on an average. But for foodgrains, the incomes didn’t rise as much. “From wheat, farmers secured a higher net return ranging from Rs 4,505 per ha in Panchmahal to Rs 15,052 in Vadodara.”
However, the study admits, “The effect of inflation on net income is not factored in while estimating the income change”, even as claiming, “The effect of inflation on change in net income from crops is not expected to be high, as the time lag between pre-Narmada and post-Narmada situations ranges from a minimum of two years in most locations.”
The study covers locations where the canal networking has been completed and waters reach fields by gravity, and also those (like in Mehsana, Ahmedabad and Surendranagar) where farmers siphon off water straight from the Narmada canal by sinking up to three km long pipelines.
The study says that average per capita income of people in the Narmada command area, too, has gone up substantially. “The largest increase was seen in Surendranagar (from Rs 65,526 to Rs 2.01 lakh), followed by Bharuch (from Rs 1.76 lakh to Rs 3.37 lakh), Mehsana (Rs 1.02 lakh to Rs 2.29 lakh), and Ahmedabad (Rs 1.19 to Rs 1.90 lakh)”, it says.
The study argues, “With increase in annual income from farming, the families have started spending more money on children’s education. The expenditure on family nutrition has also increased substantially.” It says, “Literacy data from Census 2011 shows that districts which are already being served by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project have recorded high decadal growth in literacy in comparison to the state figures.”
It adds, “Between 2001 and 2011, literacy rate increased from 51% to 66% in Banaskantha, 60% to 73% in Narmada, 60% to 71.5% in Kutch, 61% to 72% in Panchmahal, 62% to 73% in Surendranagar, and 72% to 84% in Kheda district.”

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=73098

Annexure-II

 Average MPCEMMRP and food share: major States, 2009-10
State rural urban
average MPCE  (Rs.) per capita food exp. (Rs.) % share of food in cons. exp. average MPCE  (Rs.) per capita food exp. (Rs.) % share of food in cons. exp.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
Bihar 780 505 64.7 1238 655 52.9
Chhattisgarh 784 456 58.2 1647 720 43.7
Orissa 818 507 61.9 1548 749 48.4
Jharkhand 825 503 60.9 1584 816 51.5
Uttar Pradesh 899 521 57.9 1574 728 46.3
Madhya Pradesh 903 504 55.8 1666 694 41.7
West Bengal 952 604 63.5 1965 907 46.2
Assam 1003 646 64.4 1755 929 52.9
Karnataka 1020 577 56.5 2053 869 42.3
All-India 1054 600 57.0 1984 881 44.4
Gujarat 1110 640 57.7 1909 882 46.2
Maharashtra 1153 623 54.0 2437 999 41.0
Tamil Nadu 1160 635 54.7 1948 876 45.0
Rajasthan 1179 647 54.8 1663 798 48.0
Andhra Pradesh 1234 717 58.1 2238 1002 44.8
Haryana 1510 815 54.0 2321 1001 43.1
Punjab 1649 795 48.2 2109 933 44.3
Kerala 1835 843 45.9 2413 970 40.2
Ravinder Singh
Investment Consultant and Farmer
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by kracktivist on October 8, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by kracktivist on October 8, 2012

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PRESS RELEASE–M.P. Govt must stop betrayal of thousands of project-oustees


 

 

 and respond to the Jal and Jammen Satyagraha

The farmers, labourers, potters and fish workers in the Sardar Sarovar affected areas, many of whom are also affected by the canals of the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar Projects and those affected by the Jobat Dam warn the Government of Madhya Pradesh against its totally insensitive attitude and illegal moves, destroying the lands and livelihoods of thousands of oustees affected by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar Projects. We stand by the nature based communities, the women and men who on the 14th day of the Jal Satyagraha, are facing the waters, protesting against the Government’s plan to make their villages a watery grave and evict them by the watery force. About 2,500 land holder families in Omkareshwar and thousands of families in Indira Sagar are pushed, not merely into ‘submergence’, but ‘destruction’ zone, that too without prior and legal rehabilitation.

 

It is absolute injustice meted out to the adivasi and non-adivasi farmers and the Madhya Pradesh Government has violated all norms, both its own Rehabilitation Policy and Judgements of the Supreme Court. In total contempt of the communities living in the Narmada valley since generations, the Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and his cabinet is refusing to acknowledge not just the gross illegalities but also the truth and non-violence expressed through the Jal Satyagraha of the oustees and the activists of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Chittaroopa Palit and Alok Agarwal.

 

They refuse to take note of the scenario wherein not one but all dams in the Narmada valley are pushed ahead illegally, with scant respect for environment, law and justice. The two Ministers, as envoys of the CM, who visited the site of the Satyagaraha yesterday, failed to put forth any concrete proposal before the Satyagrahis and the oustees. The Centre too, through the Narmada Control Authority and the Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Environment have not promptly intervened in this critical situation, appearing to be beyond control when not one but at least waters from 8 dams are released and the downstream areas are flooded, destroying hundreds of acres of standing land and houses.

 

In Sardar Sarovar, the oustees of ISP and OSP have flooded more than 300 houses, along with a few shops in Nisarpur and hundreds of acres of standing crop in dozens of farms, across villages. The SSP is however, stopped and no permission is granted for any further raise in height, since 40,000 families are still residing in the submergence zone and huge scandal of Corruption in the Rehabilitation is unearthed and is under scrutiny by Justice Jha Commission.

 

However, while in SSP, for the last 27 years of struggle including Jal Satyagraha to Jal Samadhi, agitations have led to the land-based rehabilitation of 11,000 families in Maharashtra and Gujarat, but not one is rehabilitated in Madhya Pradesh. The situation is same in all the large dams in the Madhya Prdaesh part of the Narmada valley – Bargi, Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, Indira Sagar, Maan, Jobat, Veda, Goi etc. This is self-evident of the state government’s disrespect for the adivasis and farmers. Madhya Pradesh is locating and allocating land for investors across the globe but denies the same to the project – affected and only forces them to accept rocky, uncultivable or decades-old encroached land from its ‘Waste Land Bank’.The same insensitivity is reflected in its silence in dealing concretely with the 10 month long Jobat Zameen Haq Satyagraha by the SSP oustees, mostly the hilly adivasis, displaced since 1994. The oustees who are on the verge of reaping the second crop on the government seed farm land they have ‘occupied’ since 10 months is another slap in the face of the State!

 

It is this callous attitude that is being challenged, staking lives and livelihoods in Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam affected areas today and the same must be responded to immediately. We appeal to all the agencies, including the NHRC, the Commission for Scheduled Tribes to intervene, at least now, after 15 days of the Satyagraha. The High Court and the Supreme Court can also take suo moto notice of the crisis and intervene to protect the rights and lives, with due respect to those sacrificing their land and village communities from the oldest of the civilizations, i.e. Narmada in ‘public interest’. If not, an intensified struggle all over will challenge the power holders on the entire issue of the Narmada valley.

 

Medha Patkar Devram Kanera Khema Vestha Shrikanth Ghokru Bhilala

Ph: 09423965153 / 09179148973

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No end to water protest in Madhya Pradesh #Omkeshwardam


 

Reported by Siddharth Ranjan Das, Edited by Shamik Ghosh |  NDTV Updated: September 06, 2012 18:37 IST

PLAYClick to Expand & Play

Bhopal: In Madhya Pradesh‘s Khandwa area, 51 people stayed immersed in water for the 13th day today in what’s being called a ‘jal satyagraha’. The protestors are demanding compensation and rehabilitation for villagers whose homes will be submerged under water after with the state government’s order of opening all the gates of the Omkareshwardam in Madhya Pradesh.With Narmada flowing above the danger levels, the government has little choice. However, the protestors, members of the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan‘, say the government’s decision to increase the water level of the Omkareshdam on the Narmada without rehabilitating people living in low lying villages is a violation of a Supreme Court order, which says villagers must be rehabilitated at least six months before such a move is implemented.

“Till the time water level comes down to 189 and as per court orders, we get the 5 acre land. And labourers get Rs. 2.5 lakh. Till that time even if we die, we will sit here,” said one of the 51 protestors at Madhya Pradesh’s Ghogal village, who have been sitting in water for the past 13 days.

“In the water, fishes and crabs are biting us, our skin is affected and it is raining also,” said a protestor.

However, despite the deteriorating health of the protestors, the government has so far offered no medical help. No one from the local administration has visited the spot of the protest.

The water of the Omkareshwar Dam has already risen to 190.5 meters and its effects can been seen in Ghogal, Kaamankheda and 28 other villages, where crops have been damaged.

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE-1000s from 250 VILLAGES OF 10 DISTRICTS support oustees #mustshare


September 2, 2012 · by of resistance and more · in News Release. ·

JAL SATYAGRAHA CONTINUES FOR THE 8TH DAY

On the 8th day of the on going Jal Satyagraha at Ghoghalgaon around 5000 people from 250 villages of 10 districts arrived to extend their solidarity to the Satyagrahis. The daughters of the Satyagrahis tied Rakhsa sutra (security band) to the thousands of people who arrived at the site as a gesture of seeking support & security. 51 Jal satyagrahis continue to stand in water for the 8th day in Ghoghalgaon fighting for their cause in spite of the blisters in their hands & feet.


A huge gathering of the kith & kin of the oustees came together which increased the Confidence & morale of the Satyagrahis. More than 5000 People from more than 250 villages of districts like Khandwa, Indore, Dewas, Burhanpur, Harda, Badwani, Khargone, Bhopal & Dhar gathered on the call of the Oustees in Ghoghalgaon to lend an overwhelming support to the protesting Oustees.
The supporters declared that they would send petition to the Chief Minister through their corresponding Village, Block & District level demanding him to reduce the water level in the dams & rehabilitate the Oustees. Women came in large numbers to Gholghaon in order to support the protesting Oustees. The supporters also declared that if the Government fails to take immediate action they would actively join the struggle with the Jal Satyagrahis.


The ongoing Jal Satyagraha in Ghoghalgaon entered its 8th day. In spite of the hands & feet of the Jal satyagrahis having turned pale & developed blisters, they are strong & determined in their stand. And their morale & confidence level has increased after receiving the support from the wave of women & men supporters who arrived at Ghoghalgaon today. The meeting concluded by offering prayers to Mother Narmada & an oath taken by the supporters as well as Satyagrahis that they would stand together in this fight for the Rights of the common people.

Alok Agarwal

–
Narmada Bachao Andolan
2, Sai Nagar, Mata Chowk,
Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh -450 001
Telefax : 0733 – 2228318
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by kracktivist on September 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Advocacy, Announcements, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights
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Posted by kracktivist on September 2, 2012

http://kractivist.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/immediate-release-1000s-from-250-villages-of-10-districts-support-oustees-mustshare/

UPDATE- Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar Dam and jal satyagrah #mustshare


Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh: reduction in water levels of Omkareshwar and Indira sagar dam
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION INTERVENES TO SAVE THE LIVES OF JAL SATYAGRAHIS & RECOMMENDS THE STATE & AUTHORITIES TO REDUCE WATER LEVELS

 
NBA‘S REPRESENTATIVE MEETS THE CHIEF SECRETARY OF THE NARMADA VALLEY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO DISCUSS ON THE ISSUES
 
CONCERNED CITIZENS FROM VARIOUS PLACES RAISE THEIR VOICES IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE JAL SATYAGRAHIS
 
JAL SATYAGRAHA CONTINUES FOR THE 7TH DAY AT GHOGHALGAON
 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION INTERVENES TO SAVE THE LIVES OF JAL SATYAGRAHIS & RECOMMENDS THE STATE & AUTHORITIES TO REDUCE WATER LEVELS
A petition was submitted by a representative group regarding the on going Satyagraha in Ghoghalgaon highlighting the fact that water has reached up to the chin level of 51 Oustees who are standing in water for the past 7 days. Thus it was demanded that the water level be reduced to 189 meters in Omkareshwar Dam & 260 meters in Indira Sagar Dam. Observing the seriousness of the situation Acting Commissioner of the State Human Rights Commission, Shri. A.K. Saxena passed an interim order recommending the Chief Secretary, Commissioner of Indore Division & the Collector of Khandwa to reduce the water level in the Dams to save the precious lives of the Oustees.
NBA’S REPRESENTATIVE GROUP MEETS THE CHIEF SECRETARY OF THE NARMADA VALLEY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO DISCUSS ON THE ISSUES
 
Under the aegis of Narmada Bachao Andolan a representative group of Oustees affected by Indira Sagar & Omkareshwar Dam met Shri. Rajneesh Vaish, Chief Secretary of the Narmada Valley Development Department. He was informed that the water level is being raised in Omkareshwar & Indira Sagar dams in violation of the orders of Supreme Court because of which, the houses & fields of Oustees are getting submerged without rehabilitation. It was demanded of him that the water level is reduced to 189 meters in Omkareshwar Dam & 260 meters in Indira Sagar Dam. Also, it was demanded that Land for Land and rehabilitation be completed by granting other rights relating to the same. it was also brought to his notice that the Satyagraha is on for the past 7 days in Ghoghalgaon & any further increase in water would lead to death of Satyagrahis. After listening to the group the Chief Secretary instructed the District Authorities & NHDC to resolve the issues at District level. And he would try to resolve the issues at the earliest after consulting the NVDA officials as well as with the Chief Minister’s office.
CONCERNED CITIZENS FROM VARIOUS PLACES RAISE THEIR VOICES IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE JAL SATYAGRAHIS
The Jal Satygraha continues to be strong & sturdy even as it reaches the 7th day. Number of concerned citizens from various places is extending their solidarity to the Satyagrahis. The water has reached till the chin level of the Satyagrahis early in the morning which has become a major issue. Few officials & volunteers of Narmada Bachao Andolan sat to protest against the water level increase outside the collector’s residence early in the morning & demanded an immediate reduction of the water levels to save the lives of the Satyagrahis. State wide protest was held by groups from Bhopal like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Victims Group, M.P. Mahila Manch, Bhopal Cultural Group, All India Revolutionary Student’s Association, Muskaan etc., & In Indore by groups like All Indian  Women’s Association, Rupankan, Domestic Workers Union, Centre for People’s Development, AITUC, CPI, IPTA, IAC etc.. Some people from the affected villages of District Khargone staged a protest in Mandleshwar at Tehsildar’s office.
PLEASE  SIGN ONLINE PETITION
 
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by kracktivist on September 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Advocacy, Announcements, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights, Violence against Women, Women Rights
Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by kracktivist on September 1, 2012

http://kractivist.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/update-omkareshwar-dam-and-jal-satyagrah-mustshare/

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