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dam-l Statement from Sunderlal Bahuguna



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."