From owner-irn-narmada@igc.org Wed Dec 10 02:08:58 1997 Return-Path: Received: from igcb.igc.org (igcb.igc.apc.org [192.82.108.46]) by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id CAA18556 for ; Wed, 10 Dec 1997 02:08:53 -0500 (EST) Received: from igc3.igc.apc.org (igc3.igc.org [192.82.108.33]) by igcb.igc.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id UAA10653; Tue, 9 Dec 1997 20:05:43 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordomo) by igc3.igc.apc.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id UAA00406; Tue, 9 Dec 1997 20:05:39 -0800 (PST) Received: from [198.94.4.4] (patrick@ppp4-4.igc.org) by igc3.igc.apc.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id UAA29913; Tue, 9 Dec 1997 20:00:03 -0800 (PST) Cc: aleta@igc.org, idrbs%asuacad.BITNET@interbit.cren.net, DASpencer@erdw.ethz.ch, pw@bothends.antenna.nl, svalorna@kaapeli.fi, devesh.darshan@gems.vsnl.net.in, educserv@acd.net, ubcentre@del2.vsnl.net.in Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 20:06:06 -0800 From: DEVESH DARSHAN (by way of patrick@irn.org (Patrick McCully)) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Precedence: bulk Sender: owner-irn-narmada@igc.org Subject: Statement from Sunderlal Bahuguna To: irn-narmada@igc.org X-Sender: patrick@pop.igc.apc.org (Unverified) Status: OR December 9, 1997 Dear friends: Shri Bahugunaji thanks you for your support for the cause of stopping the Tehri Dam. He says, " It is friends like you who have given me strength during the recent ordeal" Please send us copies of your messages to the Prime Minister of India at devesh.darshan@gems.vsnl.net.in if you have not already done so. Please include your fullname, address, phone, fax and email. With warm regards, Sincerely yours, Shrikumar Poddar, for International Service Society. EDITED VERSION SHRI SUNDERLAL BAHUGUNA'S STATEMENT ON BREAKING HIS 56 DAY FAST, NOVEMBER 26, 1997 "I want to make one thing clear - on the Dam site, there will be no explosions and no movement of heavy vehicles. This assurance has been given by Shri Yogendra Alagh ,the Minister for Power on behalf of the Prime Minister of India. Shri Bahugunaji replied, "All of you know the anguish in my heart. I am pained by the poverty of Himalaya inspite of the wealth of its resources. These two should be balanced. How can the resources of the Himalaya - be it water, forest or soil - be used in eliminating the poverty? If the poverty of the Himalaya is eliminated, then the whole country can be prosperous. This is the basic issue. Our rivers should keep flowing, they should remain pure. Electricity can be generated from them. So we have to think of all these issues and come up with a Himalayan Policy. " I would like to say this to the people of Tehri, we are in a great crises. Crisis brings us together, closer, we should not become disunited. We should speak with one voice and not give into the greed and fear - because fear and greed are the two enemies of democracy. I am sitting here as your warrior - to combat these two enemies of democracy. "I want to thank all friends from all over the country and from other countries who have expressed their concern and support during my fast. To thank all my friends and co-workers is difficult - words fail me." When Shri Bahuguna regains his health he will meet Prime Minister, I K Gujral possibly in the first week of January 1998. In this meeting, all the concerned Ministers and Secretaries will participate along with the colleagues of Shri Bahuguna. If there is a difference of opinion among experts about the safety of the Dam, then the issue will be referred to independent experts of international renown. The matter may also be referred to a judge appointed by the Supreme Court who is acceptable to both sides. Thus the issue of safety may be settled outside the Court also. Sri Alagh and others have already said that there can be no compromise on the issue of safety. Shri Dandavate said, "I am very happy that Bahugunaji has really respected our feelings. He has said that he will take sometime to recover from his long fast. I hope he will be really fit by the first week of January. Later in the evening, the Prime Minister Shri I K Gujral spoke to Bahugunaji over the telephone and said that the was happy and relieved that Bahugunaji had ended his fast. He said "after Gandhiji, you are the one who has awakened us and brought an awareness of moral values. I am happy that you shall be there to guide us in the future." COMPLETE TEXT: STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE COMPLETION OF THE PRAYERFUL FAST OF SHRI SUNDERLAL BAHUGUNA. In the afternoon of Wednesday, 26th November, the Deputy Chariman of the Planning Commission Shri Madhu Dandavate, the Minister for Environment, Prof Saifuddin Soz and the Minister for Power, Shri Yogendra Alagh came to the Ganga-Himalaya Kuti at Tehri carrying a message from the Prime Minister for Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna. Shri Bahuguna had been on a fast for the past 56 days, waiting for answers to the questions he had raised about the controversial Tehri Dam Project. After a discussion of about 2 hours, it was agreed that the main demand of Sri Bahuguna that of halting the explosions at the Dam site and stopping the Movement of heavy vehicles would be conceded. As a result of the dust and noise from these activities, people of Tehri and neighbouring villages were subjected to torture and their houses were shaking and developing cracks. Therefore, it was decided that these activities would be halted until Shri Bahuguna regains his health and is able to meet the Prime Minister in New Delhi, possibly in the first week of January. In this meeting with the Prime Minister all the concerned Ministers and Secretaries as well as colleagues of Shri Bahuguna would participate. It is hoped that in this meeting all the issues raised by Shri Bahuguna would be taken up, with a view to finding a solution to all of them. After the 74 day repentance fast of Bahugunaji last year, the then Prime Minister, Shri Deve Gowda has constituted two expert committees. When both these committees submit their reports, the Supreme Court will take up the hearing on a writ petition before a bench. Shri Dandavate informed us that this was the decision of the Supreme Court bench. One of the Committees, the Hanumanthia Rao Committee has already submitted its report to the Supreme Court. The 2nd Committee which is to go into the question of the safety of the Dam, will begin drafting its report in the 3rd week of December. So it is possible that the Supreme Court will take some time before giving its verdict on the basis of both these reports. The Minister for power has stated that if there is a difference of opinion among experts about the safety of the Dam, then the issue will be referred to independent experts of international renown. The matter may also be referred to a judge appointed by the Supreme Court who is acceptable to both sides. Thus the issue of safety may be settled outside the Court also. Sri Alagh, Shri Chaturanan Mishra (Minister for Agriculture) and others have already said that there can be no compromise on the issue of safety. But all these processes will take time. Therefore, it was important to decide on a date for the disucssion on these issues. Realizing the preciousness of Sunderlal Bahuguna's life the two Central Ministers under Prof. Dandavate's leadership reached Tehri with the message from the Prime Minister that there should be a complete discussion in Bahugunaji's presence abut all the issues concerning the dam. Bahugunaji had , following the footsteps of Gandhiji undertaken a Penance. He had agreed to end his fast on one condition, the Ministers out of their regard for Bahugunaji had agreed to accept his condition, so that he could end his fast. After this discussion, around 1 pm Shri Dandavate addressed a group consisting of some residents of Tehri, members of the local administration and workers of the Himalaya Bachao Andolan speaking on behalf of his team and the Prime Minister, he expressed happiness that Bahugunaji had agreed to end his fast. Shri Dandavate said, "I am very happy that Bahugunaji has really respected our feelings. He has said that he will take sometime to recover from his long fast. I hope he will be really fit by the first week of January. "I want to make one thing clear - on the Dam site, there will be no explosions and no movement of heavy vehicles. This assurance has been given by the Minister for Power and he has instructed all the officials here. Bahugunaji has raised some fundamental questions. Some problems are to be rectified soon. All these questions will be taken to the Prime Minister for a discussion. Bahugunaji says that this is not merely a question of the Tehri Dam but of saving the whole Himalaya. We shall take an appropriate discussion keeping in mind all the issues. " Bahugunaji is a true Gandhian. I am an ordinary soldier following the paths of Gandhiji.. so we request Bahugunaji to protect his and our lives so that no Government can interfere with our lives." On this occasion Shri Bahuguna said, "I thank Sri Dandavate, Sri Alagh and Sri Soz for taking the trouble of coming all the way here and for expressing their concern about Gangaji, Himalaya and the health of our people. They want me to go to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister. Our Prime Minister comes from a family of artists and writers. He himself is a writer. The birth of literature and art is a compassion. So he can understand our suffering. I am confident that we will get justice after the discussions we have in Delhi. "All of you know the anguish in my heart. I am pained by the poverty of Himalaya inspite of the wealth of its resources. These two should be balanced. How can the resources of the Himalaya - be it water, forest or soil - be used in eliminating the poverty? If the povertyt of the Himalaya is eliminated, then the whole country can be prosperous. This is the basic issue. Our rivers should keep flowing, they should remain pure. Electricity can be generated from them. So we have to think of all these issues and come up with a Himalayan Policy. " I would like to say this to the people of Tehri, we are in a great crises. Crisis brings us together, closer, we should not become disunited. We should speak with one voice and not give into the greed and fear - because fear and greed are the two enemies of democracy. I am sitting here as your warrior - to combat these two enemies of democracy. "I want to thank all friends from all over the country and from other countries who have expressed their concern and support during my fast. To thank all my friends and co-workers is difficult - words fail me." In the evening the Prime Minister spoke to Bahugunaji over the telephone and said that the was happy and relieved that Bahugunaji had ended his fast. He said "after Gandhiji, you are the one who has awakened us and brought an awareness of moral values. I am happy that you shall be there to guide us in future."