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At a rally in Bhopal, which drew together project-affected persons from villages in Madhya Pradesh, there were calls for the immediate scrapping of dam projects on the river Narmada and for a public audit on the effectiveness of existing dams
Thousands of dam-displaced people from over 400 villages in the Narmada valley have launched a protest against "destruction in the name of development" and demanded the immediate scrapping of six big dams on the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh. The three-day rally was held from June 23-25 in the state capital Bhopal under the banner of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), the country's foremost anti-displacement movement.
Around 4,000 people from villages affected by the building of the Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Man, Beda, Tava and Bargi dams marched to the National Hydro Development Corporation (NHDC) office shouting slogans. At a meeting held at the protest venue, NBA activist Alok Agarwal said that people affected by the dams were seeking justice and proper rehabilitation. He said the protestors would not accept "exclusion and poverty anymore and would prevent the government from pushing them towards death".
Protestors also demanded a public audit of the benefits of large dams already built in the Narmada valley. According to Agarwal, dams like the Bargi, built 20 years ago, still had to deliver the promised irrigation facilities. Likewise, the Indira Sagar dam had failed to improve the electricity situation in Madhya Pradesh. Despite these examples, the state government was speeding up work on the Maheshwar and Omkareshwar dams.
Agarwal also claimed that several families displaced by projects like the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams have not yet been resettled. He urged the Madhya Pradesh government to immediately conduct surveys in the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam areas and to rehabilitate and compensate the affected people.
Alleging that two dam oustees, Santosh Pariwal and Amrabai, had been driven to suicide in the last two months due to irregularities in the rehabilitation process, the NBA activist demanded a CBI probe into the matter. He said the NBA would intensify its protest if the government failed to take cognisance of its demands.
Source: Hindustan Times, June 26, 2006
Zee News, June 25, 2006
dailyindia.com, June 24, 2006
indiaenews.com June 24, 2006
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