NBA CALL FOR ACTION!
NBA - 10.08.2006 17:40
35 000 families in India to be threatened by submergence! Today on august 5th the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) will start a Sathyagraha which will be inaugurated with a massive rally of thousands of women, men and youth in Badwani (Madhya Pradesh). A Satyagraha with the determination to challenge the State which is forcibly occupying people’s life support, destitutionalising not just farmers but labourers, fishworkers, boatsmen to small traders. Narmada Satyagraha is a cry to halt unjust displacement and forcible eviction, which has become the most brutal truth during the last decade. With this Satyagraha we would like to invite all those victimised and sensitive citizens to join our struggle in this beautiful valley. This is as well A CALL FOR SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT ACTIONS ALLOVER THE WORLD. Unite the struggle against threats to natural resources and people’s life in the name of development! Save the Narmada! Save human kind, democracy and freedom!
Press notes and background information, addresses and numbers below.
NBA Press Release: 05 August 2006
THOUSANDS BRAVE HEAVY RAINS TO LAUNCH NARMADA SATYAGRAHA: ALL SET FOR PROTRACTED STRUGGLE
Mohini Giri, L.C. Jain, Yogendra Yadav, Shabnam Hashmi Extend Support
Even as the swirling waters of the Sardar Sarovar project is threatening the villages in the Narmada valley, over 3000 farmers and Adivasis braved the heavy rains, launched the Satyagraha against unjust submergence and displacement on Saturday (August 5) at Rajghat, near Badwani, Madhya Pradesh. Despite betrayal by the government and other institutions of democracy, they resolved to continue and strengthen their struggle for justice. Similarly, Satyagraha will be launched at Bhitada (District Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh) on August 6th and at Chimalkhedi (Maharashtra) on August 7th.
Despite the heavy rains, thousands of people came to Badwani, took out a rally and came to Rajghat on the banks of the Narmada. They were joined by the supporters and fraternal organizations from various states including Gujarat, Tamilnadu, Kerala, U.P., W.Bengal, Delhi and other states. The people decried the deliberate tactics by the Prime Minister's office and other bureaucrats to illegally increase the height of the dam and impose the submergence over 1,00,000 people during this monsoon, despite knowing the fact that at least 35,000 families need to be resettled with land for land before any such height increase. They also wondered about the Supreme Court's attitude of keeping mum on the outright violation of law, constitution and its own orders. Prominent activists like Keshav Vasave, Kamla Yadav, Jagannath Kaka, Bawabhai along with Medha Patkar and supporters like educationist Dr. Anil Sadgopal, Shri S.C. Behar, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary exposed the fraud played by Union and State governments on the lives of thousands of people.
People ridiculed the totally false, dishonest and unprofessional report by the Oversight Group (OSG) appointed by the Prime Minister. Medha Patkar made it clear that " It is a joint offensive by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the corporate powers and multilateral financial agencies, to defeat the struggle by the Narmada valley's people, to push forth the larger neo-liberal agenda of corporatization of water, land and forests, including the controversial projects like river inter-linking and the special economic zones".
Keshav Vasave pointed out that not only the Madhya Pradesh government, but Maharashtra government too failed to provide any decent and legal resettlement to the tribal oustees in the state. "In the first rains itself, resettlement sites of Javda and Vadchhil in Maharashtra are inundated. There are no basic services like drinking water, fodder, fuel, cultivable land, protection from rains in these places. We are cheated and live a life of a destitute". The fields of Thuvavi, Parveta, Kamboikua and many other resettlement sites in Gujarat, more than ten to fifteen years old, are facing water-logging and crop loss during monsoon, for the last few years. Dr. Anil Sadgopal, while taking a dig at the OSG (Shunglu Committee) report, pointed out that even this committee had to admit that at least 25,000 families need to be resettled. This shows the enormity of the democratic and human rights violation that the Central government, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh governments are resorting to push ahead the dam.
Support from Delhi
Leading jurists, academicians, journalists and social-political activists including Dr. Mohini Giri, Kamla Bhasin, Shabnam Hashmi, Dr. L.C. Jain, Swami Agnivesh, Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Kamal Mitra-Chenoy, Yogendra Yadav, Kuldip Nayar, Thomas Kocherry, Nandini Sundar, Qamar Agha, Prashant Bhushan, Pamela Philipose, Praful Bidwai, Anand Patwardhan, Anil Choudhary, Achin Vanaik, Jai Sen and others extended support to the Satyagraha and expressed concern over "the increasing violation of human rights in the Narmada valley, due to the construction of Sardar Sarovar dam... We are saddened to note that the dam officials misguided the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister on the status of rehabilitation to get the dam going. We request the concerned authorities to hold these officials accountable for such gross callousness". While, at the same time the first bout of floods in the Narmada valley have fully encircled the legendary Manibeli village in the swirling waters of Sardar Sarovar dam on August 3 (Thursday). The impact was felt down to a hundred and fifty kilometers back in the fertile plains of Nimad. Thousands of people in the villages have not moved their houses or the government has not reached to these villages. The claims of compensation by the Maharashtra government are false. Meanwhile, despite heavy rains and agricultural work, the villagers are preparing for a long drawn struggle against the submergence and eviction and displacement. They are keeping vigil on the submergence and are ready to face that.
Ashish Mandloi
Rohan Joshi
Geetanjali
M.K. Sukumar
NBA Press Release: 04 August 2006
Manibeli Encircled with Submergence Waters on Aug 3; Thousands to gather and begin Satyagraha from August 5
The first bout of floods in the Narmada valley has fully encircled the legendary Manibeli village in the swirling waters of Sardar Sarovar dam on August 3 (Thursday). The impact was felt down to a hundred and fifty kilometers back in the upstream of Narmada river well within the fertile plains of Nimad. The waters have already entered in the micro-hydel- power plant which the Adivasis have built in Bilgaon, at the height of 139 meters. Therefore, it is apprehended that the submergence would be quite massive even as the dam height has gone illegally upto 119 meters.
The schools by the people (jeevanshala) in Danel is already submerged with a few houses, there is submergence of houses in Dhankhedi, Bhadal too, while hamlets in at least 8 villages are just on the brink of the huge water body with strong waves. All the government claims regarding shifting the villagers to safer places or providing compensation to the affected people are a big sham. Thousands of people in the villages have not moved their houses or the government has not reached to these villages. The claims of compensation are false as the government has disbursed some amount to a few villagers as a compensation of submergence of 2003!!
Meanwhile, the people in the Narmada valley are preparing for Satyagraha against the illegal and unjust submergence, displacement and the destruction, from August 5 onwards. On Saturday (Aug.5), thousands of people will gather at Rajghat to launch the Satyagraha; it will be launched in Bhitada (Alirajpur, M.P.) on August 6 and at Chimalkhedi (Maharashtra) on August 7. Narmada Satyagraha is a cry to halt unjust displacement and forcible eviction which has become the most brutal truth during the last decade or so and appeals all those victimized to join us in this beautiful Valley and the oldest of the civilisations in the world.
Tragedy of Manibeli
Manibeli the historic village, in whose name an international declaration, 'Manibeli Declaration' was submitted to the World Bank and other global financing institutions, continues to struggle till date. The village was fully encircled by Narmada waters and some houses and many fields submerged, as the river is now transformed into a sea. The impact of 119 mts high Sardar Sarovar dam in these adivasi areas of Maharashtra (District Nandurbar) and Madhya Pradesh (Jhabua District) is devastating. The families who lost much of their best agricultural lands and houses too in 1993-1994, couldn't be resettled since neither Maharashtra nor Gujarat government could offer them cultivable and irrigable agricultural land, adequate to accommodate all families. Tens of families in this village could get declared as project affected (while they were left out of record, all these years) only after years long struggle, they too are yet to see any land or house plot at any resettlement si te, offered! Today there are 43 declared and 19 undeclared claimant families living in this village where flooding has started. The Jeevanshala (residential school) run by the Manibeli community and NBA is also likely to be submerged any day.
When people in Savarya were asking the Maharashtra government to take notice of the fact that many hamlets will become marooned, it merely appointed a committee, and its recommendations are far from implemented. There are many other villages such as this, in Maharashtra and M.P.
The deluge that is rising and spreading is bringing in the snakes as well as crocodiles, the aquatic creatures displaced and disturbed. There is thus a threat to life, beyond the water bound diseases such as Diarrhoea and Malaria spreading, with entitlements and rights not yet granted, the adivasis are, however, determined not to leave their land, their community.
Government Apathy
The governments, including Maharashtra where the maximum submergence has occurred, are however, showing utmost apathy and callousness both. Beyond starting a floating mobile dispensary or a motor barge putting up some honorary doctors, there is not even PDS grains (rations) out to the affected, leave aside covering them under 'antyodaya'. Those with lands already submerged are not compensated since years. Government of Maharashtra is shamelessly claiming that it has made all arrangements. "The tin sheds of 10x15" built on a sloppy hill in Manibeli are worst than cattle sheds and how dare government asks us to accommodate 3 families in one shed? Have they seen our cattle bank, our children, the open space we are used to?" asks Daman Vasave of Manibeli. "They are torturing us, the adivasis", said Bhika, an active youth from Dhankhedi who had fasted for 7 days in 2004 at the gates of Mantralaya. In spite of our repeated plea, no government has undertaken 'Panchanama' (rec ord) of the property to be affected, why to talk of the human life in danger. The thousands and lakhs of trees and forest either not cut or with secondary growth which is thick green today, is to be submerged with the hills and land rising the siltation and green mesh effect on the reservoir water which is also drinking water for the people in the submergence and beyond those in the adjacent villages, towns and cities till 10 kms away from the river.
While the dreadful raining has begun in the adivasi hilly areas, the reservoir effect is spread right up to Nimad region, more than 125 kms upstream of the dam site. Nimad with thickly populated villages, pakka houses, lakhs of large trees, horticulture, agriculture, schools and dispensaries, markets, temples and mosques ^Å.the bustling life and livelihoods is under the serious threat of submergence this year, for the first time. It is obvious that Government of Madhya Pradesh has neither cultivable land to offer nor the rehabilitation sites ready with all amenities and adequate house plots; as investigated by NSSO and Shunglu Committee report as well.
The future of the valley thus remains sealed, with the dam stopped at a level 3 mts lower at 119 mts instead of the targeted 122 mts. The 25,000 families in M.P. recorded by Shunglu Committee and a few thousand more whose claims are not recorded in M.P., as well as those in Maharashtra, makes the number of PAFs threatened, not less than 35,000 families. The rainfall will decide the exact number to be actually facing the impact. The government is neither ready for the eventual manmade calamity nor worried!
The people's protest in the form of the mass rally of thousands of women, men, youth and children will be followed by a public meeting tomorrow on August 5th in Badwani, a Satyagraha with determination to challenge the State which is forcibly expropriating people's life support, destitutionalising farmers, labourers, fishworkers, boatsmen and entire people.
Yogini Khanolkar
Kailash Yadav
Ashish Mandloi
Siyaram Vasave
Swapna Kanera
Medha Patkar
NBA Press Release: 25 Juli 2006
NO MORE DESTRUCTION : Satyagraha in the valley from August 5 !
Dear Friends,
Despite the betrayal by almost all the arms of the State, the farmers, Adivasis, labourers, workers in the Narmada valley, are still determined to face the challenge posed by the Government.
Even after the historic 20 day fast by Medha Patkar, Bhagwatibehen and Jamsinghbhai in March-April, 2006, the Central government of India had agreed to allow the increase in the height of the dam, despite the violation of every letter and spirit of law, Tribunal order and judgements of the Supreme Court. It thus decided to sacrifice the lives, lands and rights of over 35,000 families for the sake of illegal increase in the height of the dam upto 122 meters.
The Shunglu committee appointed by the PM, to 'complete the rehabilitation' of over 35,000 families in the Narmada valley, before monsoon of 2006, could however come up with a weak, distorted and totally unprofessional report on the status of the displacement and resettlement in the valley - that too only in the Madhya Pradesh state. Its terms of reference were basically flawed, its modus operendi was biased and halfhazard and it had surveyed only some villages and some families, arrogantly brushing aside the reality of the resettlement the villagers themselves were pointing out. It has taken as a starting point the Action Taken Report (ATR) by the Madhya Pradesh government - against which the NBA had gone to the court, and which had violated the basic stipulations of the Tribunal order and Supreme Court rulings!! The ATR had violated the basic principle of resettlement of land for land and was filled up by giving ex-parte cash compensation to thousands of families.
Instead of questioning this serious breach of law and rights of people, the PM's committee took this as the basis of its survey - This is the way the Prime Minister's office works in India. How can the rights of the people be secure in such a situation when the protectors are themselves killers?
However, now the people have decided to protect the democracy, Constitution and people's rights and their sovereignty - the raison d'etre of Indian sate, born out of the values of our freedom struggle.
The people in the Narmada valley would waiting for the submergence in three places; they are awaiting what the Central government or Supreme Court can do. Beyond all that, they are determined not to leave their land, villages and beautiful, bountiful Narmada Valley.
Therefore,
We are starting the indefinite Satyagraha at three places : Rajghat ( on Aug 5, near Badwani), Bhitada (in Alirajpur tehsil, tribal village in M.P. on 6 August) and at Chimalkhedi (Maharasthra, on Aug 7). On 5th the Satyagraha will start with a massive rally in Badwani.
Come to the Narmada valley. You would see the valley, its beauty and horrible nature of impending submergence and the people's determination...
You have been with the people in the Narmada valley - and this time too you will be with us !
In Solidarity,
Medha Patkar and colleagues.
Contact : Narmada Bachao Andolan, M.Gandhi Marg, Badwani (Madhya Pradesh) Phone & Fax No. : 07290-222464 9425479254 (Ashish/Umesh). Badwani is at approx. 4hrs.journey by road from Dhulia (Maharashtra), Indore, Khandawa (Madhya Pradesh), Baroda (Gujrath). Other contact Nos. : Mumbai : Pervin Jehangir : 022-22185832, 9820636335 Pune : Sanjay Sangwai : 020-25450870, 9890025479 Dhulia : Shyam Patil : 02562-246419, 9423496020 Indore : Sarvoday Press Service : (0731) 2401083
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