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dam-l LS:(THE HINDU) Politician determined to push Sardar Sarovar Project to completion
THE HINDU Friday, May 22, 1998
Waghela for speedy completion of Narmada dam
(NEW DELHI) Fighting, what he describes as ``whims of intelligentsia'', the
former Chief Minister of Gujarat and president of All India Rashtriya
Janata Party, Mr. Shankarsinh Waghela, is determined to get drinking water
for the people of his State. And this, he believes, can be achieved by
completion of the Narmada dam.
And so all those opposing the construction of the dam are his and his
party members' target of ire. ``All those who are against the dam are
playing into foreign hands. Don't all the Western funders have big dams in
their countries? Then why are they opposed to progress and development in
India?'' - is his basic arguement to counter the claims of anti-dam
activists like Medha Patkar.
``Not that drinking water for two crore people is more important than
rehabilitation packages for 100,000 persons, but we have already offered
A-1 package for the 35,000 people displaced so far,'' Mr. Waghela
justified, criticising the halt in construction of the dam for over three
years now. He said it was hypocritical on part of NGOs to criticise the
Sardar Sarovar project on river Narmada and obtaining a Court injunction on
stopping the construction at a height of 85 cms.
In town to submit a memorandum to the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, the
former Gujarat Chief Minister addressed a press conference to stress that
completion of Narmada dam was the only solution to resolve the problem of
drinking water of 14,000 villages in the State and that the State
Government should go ahead with the project without any further delay.
In the memorandum, Mr. Waghela and his party members said, construction of
Narmada dam was the lifeline of the State, which echoed the deprivation of
the poor and the water-starved people of Gujarat. Any attempt to create
obstacles and delays in providing drinking water to such a huge population
was a gross violation of human rights.
The RJP had undertaken an awareness and study tour of the State from April
23 which culminated in a public meeting on May 1 at Kawadia Colony where
the people assembled unanimously resolved to ensure proper rehabilitation
of those displaced.
According to Mr. Waghela, taking into account the sentiments of the
people, the party submitted a six-point charter of demands to the Centre
which included declaring the Sardar Sarovar Project as a National Project
immediately. The other demands included building a 300-km long
ditch-cum-canal along the Pakistan-India border to carry the Narmada water
for the benefit of the locals, the Army and the BSF personnel, handing over
the inter-State water dispute to the tribunal and maintaining law and order
in the State in the event of a ``water-riot'' arising out of further delay
in construction of the dam.
Also expressing his concern over the deteriorating law and order situation
in the State, Mr. Waghela said, he had appealed to the President to send an
independent high-level investigation team to probe the insecurity and fear
that had gripped the State during 75 days rule of Bharatiya Janata Party.
He lamented there was no authority to complain to or seek remedy because
atrocities were being committed in the constituencies of Union Home
Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, and the State Chief Minister, Mr. Keshubhai
Patel. Protesting the State Administration's failure to investigate the
growing number of henious incidents of rape, murder, highway loots and
other crimes, Mr. Waghela said a ``probe-mission'' was imperative.
===============================
Susanne Wong
Campaigns Assistant
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way
Berkeley, CA 94703
Tel: 1.510.848.1155 ext 316
Fax: 1.510.848.1008
email: swong@irn.org
web: www.irn.org