#India – Women in search of work being kidnapped #Vaw

जहाँ काम खोजने आए मजदूर होते हैं अगवा…

सलमान रावी

बीबीसी संवाददाता, भद्राचलम (आंध्र प्रदेश) से

 मंगलवार, 18 जून, 2013 को 07:13 IST तक के समाचार

छत्तीसगढ़ में सुरक्षा बलों और माओवादियों के बीच हो रही हिंसा के कारण बड़ी संख्या में दक्षिण बस्तर के रहने वाले आदिवासी रोज़गार की तलाश में दक्षिण भारत के विभिन्न राज्यों की तरफ रुख कर रहे हैं.

मगर इनके लिए रोज़गार की तलाश भी उतनी आसान नहीं है क्योंकि संगठित गिरोह अब इनका अपहरण कर रहे हैं और इन्हें बंधुआ मजदूर बनने पर मजबूर कर रहे हैं.

 

बस्तर से बसों में बैठकर आन्ध्र प्रदेश जाने वाले इन मजदूरों को भद्राचलम के सरकारी बस स्टैंड से 15 किलोमीटर पहले ही संगठित गिरोहों द्वारा जबरन उतार लिया जाता है.

उसके बाद इनके ना चाहने के बावजूद तमिल नाडु, गोवा, कर्नाटक जैसे राज्यों में इन्हें ईंट भट्ठों, खेतों या फैक्टरियों में काम करने भेज दिया जाता है वो भी औने पौने पारिश्रमिक के साथ.

इस समस्या नें अब इतना विकराल रूप धारण कर लिया है कि आन्ध्र प्रदेश की सरकार नें एक टास्क फ़ोर्स के गठन का निर्णय किया है. भद्राचलम के सब कलक्टर भरत गुप्ता का कहना है कि दल में सामाजिक संगठन के कार्यकर्ताओं के अलावा, श्रम विभाग और पुलिस के अधिकारी शामिल होंगे.

मन में डर

सुबह का वक़्त है और आन्ध्र प्रदेश के भद्राचलम के सारपाका बस स्टैंड पर छत्तीसगढ़ के दंतेवाड़ा से आए कुछ आदिवासी इंतज़ार कर रहे हैं.

ये लोग अपने एजेंट की राह देख रहे हैं. जो उन्हें वादे के मुताबिक मजदूरी दिलवाएगा.

कई सौ किलोमीटर के सफ़र के बाद भी थकान इनके चेहरों पर नज़र नहीं आती.

इनके सफ़र से ज्यादा तकलीफदेह वो ज़िन्दगी है जिसे वो अपने पीछे दंतेवाडा जिले में अपने गाँव में ही छोड़कर आये हैं.

मगर इस जमात में शामिल नौजवान, औरतें और बुज़ुर्ग डरे हुए हैं.

इनमे से कोई कुछ बताना नहीं चाहता.

मुझे बताया गया कि ऐसा इस लिए है क्योंकि ये सब लोग एजेंटों की कड़ी निगरानी में हैं.

‘जबरन कब्ज़े में’

कुछ ऐसा ही भद्राचलम के आंबेडकर चौक के पास का नज़ारा है जहाँ एक दूसरा समूह सुकमा से आई बस से उतर कर इंतज़ार कर रहा है.

मगर भद्राचलम का सरकारी बस स्टैंड आज आम दिनों की तरह नहीं है.

यहाँ वो मजदूर नदारद हैं जोक्लिक करें छत्तीसगढ़ से भद्राचलम होते हुए दक्षिण भारत के दूसरे राज्यों में भेजे जाते हैं और वो एजेंट भी लापता हैं जो इन्हें जबरन भेजने का काम करते हैं.

आंध्र प्रदेश स्टेट रोडवेज ट्रांसपोर्ट कॉरपोरेशन के इस बस स्टैंड में तैनात अधिकारी विजय बताते हैं कि इन एजेंटों को हमारे पहुँचने की खबर मिल गई है.

वो कहते हैं, “इन लोगों को पता चल गया है कि बीबीसी के लोग यहाँ आए हैं. इस लिए कोई भी एजेंट नज़र नहीं आ रहा है. हम यहाँ रोज़ इस बस स्टैंड पर तमाशा देखते हैं. छत्तीसगढ़ से आने वाली बसों का एजेंट यहाँ बैठकर इंतज़ार करते हैं. जैसे ही बस आती है ये लोग उनपर टूट पड़ते हैं और आने वाले आदिवासियों को जबरन अपने कब्जे में ले लेते हैं.”

‘मोटा कमीशन’

रोज़ की तरह एजेंट तो ग़ायब हैं मगर मैंने पता लगाते हुए कुछ एक एजेंटों के ठिकाने पर जाकर उनसे मुलाक़ात की तो इस पूरे मामले से पर्दा उठने लगा.

एजेंटों ने नाम नहीं बताने की शर्त पर यह बताया कि छत्तीसगढ़ से आए क्लिक करें मजदूरों का भद्राचलम से अपहरण कर लिया जाता है और फिर उन्हें बंधुआ मजदूर के रूप में काम करने को मजबूर होना पड़ता है.

भद्राचलम तक बस लेकर आने वाले एक ड्राईवर ने नाम नहीं उजागर करने की शर्त पर बताया, “अगर आपको लगता है कि भद्राचलम के बस स्टैंड पर इन्हें उतारा जाता है तो आप ग़लतफ़हमी में हैं. भद्राचलम बस स्टैंड पहुँचने से पंद्रह किलोमीटर पहले ही ये एजेंट और इनके गुर्गों से बसों को जबरन रुकवा लेते हैं और उनमे सवार आदिवासियों को उतार लेते हैं. फिर इन्हें दूसरी गाडी से वहां भेज दिया जाता है जहाँ के लिए इन्हें मोटा कमीशन मिलता है.”

‘डरा धमकाकर’

शहर के एक प्रमुख स्थान पर मौजूद मजदूर सप्लाई करने वाली एजेंसी के संचालक नें बीबीसी से बात करते हुए बताया कि कई महीनों तक मजदूरी करने की बाद कुछ मजदूरों को तो घर लौटने के लिए भीख तक मांगनी पड़ती है.

उनका कहना है कि मजदूरों की मजदूरी भी मालिकों से एजेंट ही ले लेते हैं ये कहते हुए कि जब वो काम कर वापस घर लौटेंगे तो उन्हें पैसे मिल जायेंगे. मगर जब मजदूर वापस लौटते हैं तो इन एजेंटों का कोई अता पता नहीं होता. अपने आपको ठगा हुआ महसूस कर ये आदिवासी बस संचालकों से फ़रियाद कर किसी तरह अपने गावों वापस लौट पाते हैं.

वहीं ‘सितारा’ नाम के एक जन संगठन से जुड़े डाक्टर शेख हनीफ का कहना है कि मजदूरों को डरा धमका कर उन्हें दूसरी जगहों पर मजदूरी के लिए भेजने वाले लोग संगठित होकर काम कर रहे हैं.

मजदूरों की मंडी

हनीफ का कहना है कि कुछ दिनों पहले उन्होंने कई मामले पकड़े और पुलिस की मदद मांगी.

वो कहते हैं कि उनके संस्था के हस्तक्षेप के बाद पुलिस ने कार्रवाई भी कि. मगर अहिस्ता अहिस्ता ये एजेंट फिर से मज़बूत हो गए क्योंकि ये लोग बहुत संगठित होकर काम करते हैं.

खम्मम जिला प्रशासन को अब लगने लगा है कि एजेंट भद्राचलम को मजदूरों की मंडी की तरह इस्तेमाल कर रहे हैं.

क्योंकि यहाँ ओडिशा और छत्तीसगढ़ से बड़ी संख्या में आदिवासियों का आना जाना होता है.

मानव तस्करी पर रोक

भद्राचलम के सब कलक्टर डाक्टर भरत गुप्ता नें बीबीसी को बताया कि प्रशासन नें इस तरह की गतिविधि का संज्ञान लिया है और जल्द ही एक टास्क फ़ोर्स का गठन किया जा रहा है जो इस तरह की मानव तस्करी पर रोक लगाने की दिशा में काम करेगा.

कहीं क्लिक करें माओवादी छापामारों का फरमान तो कहीं सुरक्षा बलों की हलचल से परेशान छत्तीसगढ़ के क्लिक करें आदिवासी ये सोच कर अपने आशियानों को छोड़ कर निकल रहे हैं कि उन्हें एक बेहतर ज़िन्दगी मिलेगी.

लेकिन मानव तस्करों के बड़े संगठित गिरोहों ने उनकी जिंदगियों को और मुश्किल में डाल दिया है.

इनके लिए तो ये ऐसा है कि मानो आसमान से गिरे तो खजूर पर जा अटके.

(क्लिक करें बीबीसी हिन्दी के क्लिक करें एंड्रॉएड ऐप के लिए आप क्लिक करें यहां क्लिक कर सकतें हैं. आप हमें क्लिक करें फ़ेसबुक और क्लिक करें ट्विटर पर क्लिक करें फ़ॉलोभी कर सकते हैं.)

 

Babu Bokhariya, minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet, convicted for illegal mining

Edited by Shamik Ghosh | Updated: June 15, 2013 , NDTV

 

Ahmedabad: Babu Bokhariya, a senior minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet in Gujarat, has been convicted for illegal mining. He has been taken into custody.

Mr Bokhariya, who is Gujarat’s water resource minister, along with three others, has been sentenced to three years of imprisonment by a sessions court.

The three others convicted in the case are former MP Bharat Odedara, Bhima Dula and Laxman Dula. They all were accused of illegal mining of limestone from the land where Saurashtra Chemicals Limited holds mining rights.

Sarabjit’s death probe: Judicial commission visits jail, interviews prisoners

PTI Jun 9, 2013,

LAHORE: A judicial commission of the Lahore high court visited Sarabjit Singh’s cell in Kot Lakhpat Jail and interviewed prisoners as part of its probe into the brutal murder of the Indian death row convict.

Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, the head of the commission, collected the complete record of Sarabjit from prison officials.

Registrar Bushra Zaman of the high court told reporters that the commission had interviewed some prisoners about the incident and gathered complete records of the case.

The commission had already issued notices to Sarabjit’s family through the foreign ministry to record their statements and produce any evidence they had regarding the incident, Zaman said.

Local witnesses have been summoned on June 10 to record their statements.

The commission will unearth the facts at the earliest in view of the importance of the matter, she said.

The commission will also interview the two prisoners arrested for attacking Sarabjit, jail officials and witnesses before finalising its report.

Five to six prisoners had brutally assaulted Sarabjit in a well-coordinated attack on April 26.

After being comatose for nearly a week, Singh died at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore on May 2.

Police registered a murder case against two death row prisoners Amer Aftab and Mudassar for allegedly assaulting Sarabjit.

Both men told police that they wanted to kill Sarabjit as he was involved in killing Pakistanis in bomb blasts.

 

Delhi University’s caste counters spark outrage

 

Mallica Joshi, Hindustan Times  New Delhi, June 07, 2013

 First Published: 01:10 IST(7/6/2013)

“I feel I live in South Africa of the apartheid era.” The segregation is not along racial lines but at Delhi University‘s form counters, the caste divide is too evident and “humiliating” – as is obvious from the statement of a student who belongs to one of the reserved categories and doesn’t wish to be identified.

The university has segregated the sale counters on the basis of caste, a move antithetical to principles of social justice and inclusion.

On Thursday, at the faculty of arts, the busiest centre for sale of forms, paper slips in bold letters above the sale windows indicated the category of students the counters were meant for.

While two of the windows were marked general/OBC (other backward classes) forms, the remaining two had SC/ST/PWD (persons with disabilities) written on them.

Students, understandably, are not happy.

 

“I came here with a group of friends. While they are standing in the line for the general category, I have to stand in a different line,” said a student, who did not want to be named.

The university said they realised the mistake and assimilated the centres on Wednesday, the first day forms went on sale.

“It was decided in a meeting of the centre heads that no such distinction was to be made. We have informed everyone about the decision,” JM Khurana, dean, students’ welfare, said.

“It seems the change was not made at the faculty of arts. We will ensure that the notes are removed.”

 

Look who has Aadhaar Cards- Trees, Chairs and even Dogs #UID #WTFnews

Dogs, trees and chairs have Aadhaar cards

Sunitha Rao R, TNN May 31, 2013,

• 

(Acknowledging slip-ups…)

 

BANGALORE: In hilarious slip-ups in the Aadhaar card enrolment process, some cards have ended up with pictures of an empty chair, a tree or a dog instead of the actual applicants.

Asked about the cases, where data collected from applicants were not reflected on the cards, Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) deputy director general Ashok Dalwai said no system was foolproof. “There have been some errors,” he said.

“We had even come across an empty chair printed as the applicant‘s photo on an Aadhaar card. This could have happened due to the operator’s mistake. We look for accuracy in the fingerprints and photograph. The operator might have copied a wrong photo, but it may have matched only because of a lack of clarity. To avoid such errors, we have in place another team to go through the printed Aadhaar cards, to check for manual duplication.”

Acknowledging slip-ups in the Aadhaar enrolment process, UIDAI deputy director general Ashok Dalwai told TOI there have been cases where an operator’s fingerprints had been registered instead of the applicant’s. “This could have happened while the operator was guiding the applicant on where and how to put his finger during data enrolment,” he said.

“We have four attempts in which the right data has to be fed into the system. In some cases, the operators have registered their own fingerprints by mistake,” he added.

In such cases, Aadhaar enrolment is rejected and the applicant informed about the rejection. Such applicants have to undergo fresh enrolment.

Dalwai said no one should apply more than once for an Aadhaar card unless he/she receives a rejection letter from the UIDAI. “Please don’t reapply for the card,” he said. “The applicant can reapply only in the case of rejection of the accuracy of data and only on getting a rejection letter. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time for us and the applicant.”

 

 

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Woman without dupatta denied Aadhaar photo #UID #WTFnews

 

 

Christin Mathew Philip, TNN | May 31, 2013, 05.48 AM IST

 

• CHENNAI: Is there a dress code to get an Aadhaar card? An incident on Thursday at an enrolment centre in Chennai shows that there indeed may be one, and that it smacks of moral policing.

Lavanya Mohan tweeted that she was sent back by officials who refused to photograph her since she was not wearing a dupatta. “Waited for about an hour to get an Aadhaar card photo done and was sent back in line…because I wasn’t wearing a dupatta,” she tweeted. “Local officers sometimes have their own bizarre rules. It’s nothing to particularly be angry about :),” read another of her tweets. Minutes later, #Dupatta and #Aadhaarcard were the trending topics on Twitter.

MRV Krishna Rao, joint director of census operations, said there was no curb on dress for the Aadhaar photograph.

“Earlier the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had said that shirtless people and those in collarless shirts should not be photographed. But we had requested the UIDAI to withdraw these restrictions as it would affect the customs and traditions of some communities. Now, there is no dress code.”

He admitted that there were some complaints about the dress codes while taking photographs. “Representatives of the brahman community from Kancheepuram recently approached us that they want to be photographed without shirts. So I informed the contractors who were tasked with the drive that no dress code should be insisted upon,” said Krishna Rao.

Lavanya Mohan found support online. Some comments dripped of sarcasm. “Dear Nandan, I want my Aadhaar card but I don’t have a dupatta. Can I use a towel? Yours Sincerely, Sreesanth,” said Ramesh Srivats. “Dupatta for Aadhaar card! Is this the beginning of talibanization of India & Indian democracy?” wondered another

 

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#India – When Doctors are also perpetrators of Crime #Vaw

Study shows sex selection practices in doctors’ families

Umesh Isalkar, TNN | May 28, 2013, 06.42 AM IST

NAGPUR: A study by a Nagpur-based institute has found the sex ratio skewed in doctors’ families, too. The child sex ratio in these families was 907 girls per 1,000 boys, lower than the national average of 914. It was indicative of a deep-rooted social malady that could pose a critical challenge in correcting the sex ratio in India, the study stated.

The skewed ratio in the doctors’ families was strongly indicative of underlying sex-selection practices even though the ratios offer only circumstantial evidence, rather than proof, the study stated. The study was published recently in the American Journal ‘Demography’ and titled ‘Skewed Sex Ratios in India: Physician Heal Thyself’.

The researchers investigated the sex ratio in 946 nuclear families with 1,624 children where either one or both parents were doctors who had studied at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nagpur between 1980 and 1985. The medical college is a large tertiary care teaching hospital in Vidarbha region, admitting 200 students for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery ( MBBS) .

Other than being more skewed than the national average, the researchers observed that the conditional sex ratios consistently decreased with increasing number of previous female births. Third, the birth of a daughter in the family was associated with a 38 % reduced likelihood of a subsequent female birth.

“Our investigation has revealed startling concerns about the potential sex selection practices among doctors of Vidarbha region. We are aware of the limitations of this study as the sample size is not very big and hence may not faithfully represent the entire physician community in India. But it definitely warrants a closer look. It will also be interesting to see whether such practices pervade others in the medical profession, such as nurses and paramedical workers,” said principal investigator Archana Patel.

Patel also works as a professor and head of the department of paediatrics. She is a director of epidemiology unit at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur. The others who conducted the study with Patel are Neetu Badhoniya, Manju Mamtani and Hemant Kulkarni.

“The study was conducted for three reasons. The medical profession enjoys high esteem in India, and physicians are regarded as role models in society. Second, physicians have a crucial role in the implementation of the Pre Conception and Pre-Natal and Diagnostic Techniques (prevention of sex selection) Act to prevent the misuse of ultrasound and other techniques for prenatal sex determination, which has been implicated for selective abortion of girls. Third, little is known whether this preference for boys also exists among the families of Indian physicians. Hence, we investigated the pattern of sex ratios in the immediate families of physicians,” Patel said.

General surgeon Maya Tulpule, president of the city chapter of Indian Medical Association said, “I will discuss the matter with IMA managing committee members to see whether we can take up such a survey here in Pune.”

It was an important study which reflected the mindset of the society of which doctors are a part, said senior psychiatrist Devendra Shirole, former national vice president of IMA. “However, a multi-centric study with a larger sample size is needed. We will discuss this at IMA’s national meeting soon,” he added.

Previous studies have also claimed that this son preference varies little with education or income and that selective abortion of girls is common in educated and affluent households, presumably because they can afford ultrasound and abortion services more than uneducated or poorer households.

 

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Narendra Modi claims he inaugurated India’s First Yoga University #Fekuexpose

Narendra Modi the Liar, proved beyond Doubt.

and Media never verifies his claims

Narendra Modi, yoga and a new university for Gujarat

Reported by Rohit Bhan, Edited by Janaki Fernandes | Updated: May 24, 2013 10:10 IST

 

Click to Expand & Play

? Ahmedabad, May 23: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday regretted that successive governments at the Centre neglected the importance of yoga, which is gaining prominence in the world. “Yoga was intentionally neglected by Britishers while they were ruling the country as they feared that through yoga India will become powerful in the world,” Modi said inaugurating the Lakulish Yoga University. “But even after Independence, we didn’t come out of the slave mentality and continue to ignore the importance of yoga. And sometimes by equating yoga with communalism, we inflicted a great damage on us,” Modi said. Lakulish Yoga University, established by Life Mission Trust of Gujarat, is claimed to be the first ever such private sector self-financed institution in the country. Modi, while citing Sanskrit ‘shlokas’, stressed the importance of yoga and how it can play a vital and decisive role in the lives of people. “Today, every human being in the world is confused, unhappy and is seeking inner peace. He does not need materialistic wealth but needs peace and only yoga taught by a professional, an exponent or a complete teacher can facilitate this peace,” he said. “People across the globe are curious about yoga and it would have been better if successive governments of our country had included yoga as a path to reach the whole world. Then India would have got a great opportunity to connect with the entire world,” Modi said. “I hope and wish that this Lakulish University, inspired by one of the authority in yoga of our time, Swami Rajrshi Muni, will generate expert yoga teachers which in turn will spread it (yoga) in the world,” Modi added. Addressing the gathering, varsity founder Swami Rjarshi Muni said there would not be just one medium of teaching in the institution. “No matter which language they (students) speak, here we will impart education in their preferred languages. We have yoga teachers from every part of the world,” he said. The university will award degrees for the three-year courses. The state government had earlier enacted a law for creation of a Yoga university in the state.

ALL ABOVE IS A LIE 

There are many Universities of Yoga in India The Bihar Yoga University is an internationally acclaimed school of Yoga founded by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in 1964 to fulfill the instruction given by his Guru, Sri Swami Sivananda of propagating the ancient wisdom of yoga from door to door and from shore to shore. Situated on the banks of the Ganges, the campus of Bihar School of Yoga is known as Ganga Darshan, located at the top of hillock in the town of Munger in the Indian state of Bihar. Bihar School of Yoga imparts traditional yoga teachings to householders and sannyasins alike from across the globe.

S-VYASA is a Yoga University declared deemed to be University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956,, started in 1986, in Bangalore in Karnataka yoga university .

Check- http://svyasa.org/

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Dalit woman kills self over police ‘harassment’ #Vaw

TNN May 18, 2013,

TRIPUNITHURA: A 32-year-old housewife committed suicide on Friday after she was allegedly harassed by a group of police personnel at Hill Palace police station. The victim was identified as Sunitha alias Mini, from Mathur Colony. She ended her life by jumping in front of a speeding train near Mathur level cross in the wee hours of Friday.

Sources said the dalit woman was allegedly harassed by a few policemen at the station after her husband Babu was booked in connection with a case. Two weeks ago, the police had registered a case against Babu for allegedly attacking the owner of a super market near Eroor. Based on the complaint filed by the store owner, police registered a case and launched a hunt to locate Babu, who was absconding after the incident. As attempts to trace Babu failed, a police team started visiting his house on a regular basis. On Thursday, the police summoned Mini to the station and allegedly kept her in custody from morning till evening. The police team grilled her at the station for hours to collect information on Babu’s whereabouts.

Family members said that when Mini returned home that evening, she was emotionally disturbed. Local residents alleged that the police team, which used to visit the house in search of Babu, used to harass family members. Following Mini’s death, Babu returned home on Friday. The body was handed over to family members after autopsy.

Locals brought the body to the police station premises and staged a protest demanding action against the police personnel who harassed Mini. The situation was brought under control after police deployed more personnel at the spot to prevent any untoward incident. Later in the evening, the body was cremated at the municipal crematorium.

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Controversy looming large over Chutka nuclear project

Shashikant Trivedi  |  Bhopal  May 15, 2013 Last Updated at 09:23 IST

Upcoming project in MP to displace local tribal population; proposed site in highly seismic zone near Kanha National Par

Locals of Mandla district will once again raise their voices against 1400 MW NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited) Chutka project which is coming up in highly seismic zone, near Kanha national park and adjacent  to one of the least polluted river Narmada. State government officials have already issued land acquisition notices to local people, almost all of them are tribal, and have slapped a NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) report which is Greek to them.

The district administration has called a public hearing on 24th of this month to invite claims, objections and suggestions suggestion on the project that pose risk to rich diversity and more importantly pre-historic evidences of human civilization in the area. Members of Chutka Parmanu Sangharsh Samiti, have demanded immediate cancellation of the meeting and threatened to stage dharna from 20th of this month if their demand is not met.

NEERI has readied environment impact assessment report on the project.  On the other hand district collector told BS that all formalities and documentation procedures have been completed and there are people who want this project to come up.

Interestingly, when world is debating safety of nuclear power project after 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, Jabalpur-Mandla belt also experienced an earthquake on 22 May 1997 of 7 magnitude on Richter. The epicenter of this earthquake was at Kosamghat –hardly 20 kilometers away from the proposed site.

According to Navratan Dubey, secretary of Chutkha Parmanu Sangharsh Samiti, the district collector handed over the NEERI report on 21 April 2013 to them and gave one month period to study it. “Entire report is in English and is in scientific terms, how can villagers study it and come up with even suggestions? He asks, “The NEERI took two years to prepare it and they want us to analyse it in one month. We have demanded the district collector to give a Hindi version of the report and a time of two months so that villagers can understand it. It would be impossible for them even if they are in favour of the project,” Dubey said, “We will launch our protest from 20 of this month if they do not listen to us. We want the public hearing to be cancelled.”

Villagers of Chutka, Tatighat, Kunda, Bhaliwara and Patha are in the core area of the project. Villagers are more enraged as they have already been displaced due to Bargi dam on Narmada River. The project site also falls under the scheduled area.

The district collector Lokendra Singh Jatav told BS telephonically from Mandla, “We have given them enough copies of the NEERI report in Hindi and enough time. There are people who want development and they are in favour of the project, we will go ahead as per schedule. We have already issued land acquisition notifications and few with vested interest are opposing it.”

Though the project is yet to come out of the drawing board, the district administration has issued notices under the 1994 land acquisition Act. Members of Chutka Parmanu Sangharsh Samiti also allege that district administration officials are forcefully moving ahead without taking them into confident. “They have not taken permission from gram sabhas and ignored decisions and resolutions of villagers in contrast to the fact that Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, has vested all rights on deciding developmental activities to the gram sabhas,” said Rajkumar Sinha, who is fighting for rights of oustees of Bargi dam. He is advising villagers on Chutka Parmanu Sangharsh Samiti on environment and other issues.

The samiti members said they were already displaced when the Bargi dam on Narmada River was conceived. “We are strictly against the project as we do not want to move for another project,” Dubey added. The district collector was not available for comment. However the district collector clarified that all legal and documentary procedures have been completed.

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