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dam-l LS: NBA Press Release on ICOLD Visit to SSP
Press Release November 2, 1998
Visit of ICOLD To Sardar Sarovar Exposes Hypocrisy of Gujarat
Government
Why Was the World Commission Banned and Why ICOLD Invited to
Visit?
The visit of the executive committee of the ICOLD (International
Commission on Large Dams) to the Sardar Sarovar dam site on 30/31 Oct.
1998, and the personal welcome to them by the SSNNL Chairperson clearly
exposes the hypocrisy of the Gujarat Government which had banned the
entry of the World Commission on Dams last September with much hysteria.
What reason and logic does the Gujarat Government offer for allowing one
Commission to come in, indeed, inviting it, and banning and threatening
to arrest the other Commission's members? Gujarat Government had given
the reasons that it will not tolerate international interference in
India (a stand which the NBA also supports) But the ICOLD is an
international commission. The other reason given to refuse permission to
the WCD was that it included members like Medha Patkar. This means that
the ICOLD does not have any members who can be said to be against large
dams. And therein lies the real reason for the Gujarat Government to
welcome it. The WCD on the other hand, included members who were
supporters of large dams also, as well as neutral members. Thus, the WCD
was a far more balanced team. The ICOLD team is clearly one-sided.
The ICOLD is a commission consisting of representatives of dam building
industries, consulting companies, and government departments involved in
building large dams, from over 150 countries. As such, it is clearly a
body highly supportive of large dams, and the Gujarat Government will
have felt it safe to allow it to visit SSP. The WCD on the other hand,
is a more balanced body. It has a few critics of large dams like Medha
Patkar, but it has also the supporters of large dams like Mr. Asmal, the
Chair who is the Minister for Water Resources in S. Africa and is
building dams there, and Mr. Veltrop, Hon. President of ICOLD to name
only a few.
The implication is that Gujarat Government will allow only the one-sided
teams, teams that consist of only supporters of large dams to come to
visit SSP, as it is afraid of the scrutiny of the balanced teams. After
all, the balanced team will be able to expose the truth, while the one
sided team will only see and say what the Government wants it to.
This is also clear from the fact that ICOLD was formally invited by NBA
to spare time to hear the side of story presented by NBA and the
affected people when they visit the SSP area, but they refused. It is
clear that ICOLD itself is also not interested in hearing the people
voices or the voices of the critics.
It may be noted that ICOLD is having its Annual Meeting in New Delhi
from 1-7 Nov. 1998, and one of the post meeting field visits include a
visit to the Sardar Sarovar in Gujarat. The visit of the Executive
Committee of ICOLD prior to the Annual Meeting to SSP is possibly in
preparation of the post-meeting visit.
It may also be recalled that it was the Gujarat Government which has
taken up a hysterical and shrill campaign against the proposed visit of
the World Commission on Dams (WCD) in Sept. 1998. It has not only
threatened to arrest the Commission Members, but had also convened a
special session of the State Assembly to condemn the WCD. It was due to
the pressure of the Gujarat Government that the Indian Central
Government banned the entry of WCD in India, overturning its earlier
decision to welcome them.
Sd/-
Shripad Dharmadhikary
For, Narmada Bachao Andolan