[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
dam-l (Fwd) LS: People Expose Government's Claim of SSP Land Availab
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date sent: Tue, 25 May 1999 13:02:25 -0800
From: Medha Patkar <medhap@bom5.vsnl.net.in> (by way of patrick@irn.org (Patrick
McCully))
Subject: LS: People Expose Government's Claim of SSP Land Availability Once Again
To: irn-narmada@igc.apc.org
People Expose Government's Claim of Land Availability Once Again
Press Note - 25.5.'99
Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) affected tribals in Maharashtra are all
out
to prove the falsehood of Government that land is available for
resettlement. As the monsoon get closer now, the Narmada is expected
to
rise and drown 2000 families with lands and houses. It has become all
the
more necessarily to expose the authorities, who have callously and
cunningly asked to obtain the permission of Sardar Sarovar Dam height
by 5
+ 3 (humps) that is 8 meters. The people once again took up the
challenge,
proving that the state government as neither the government nor the
private or the forest land available as on today for rehabilitating the
oustees of about 25 villages this year.
The Government declared through village contact campaign from 12th May, by
a joint team of Maharashtra and Gujarat, contacted the villages such as
Sikka and Bharad in Akrani Tahsil and Manibeli in Akkalkuva Tahsil in
District Nandurbar. People found they not only had their records of the
PAFs wrong but they also made claims of land being available in
Maharashtra sites even when they were already a few hundreds demanding
land since years. As it was told to the people of Sikka that land is
available at Rozva rehabilitation site which they should come, inspect,
get allotted and shift out to vacate the valley to be flooded with
reservoir waters this monsoon, without actually going through the process
they took their thump impression on a statement which none of the
illiterate tribals could read. They have in any case issued notices to all
the villages to be affected asking them to shift their houses (not
mentioning where) by 31st of this month itself.
The people, through Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), invited the government
to Rozva on the 24th of May challenging them to show the land as per the
rehabilitation policy - ready and available. The officials including Addl.
Collector (SSP), District Resettlement Officer (SSP), Dy. Collector (SSP)
and others couldn't avoid coming to the site. Amongst hundreds of tribals
- men and women - and number of journalists and representatives of
people's organisations, marathon discussions and assessment were done with
maps and records and it is proved that when the officials began the claim
that 48 ha. being available in Rozva rehabilitation site in the coup
numbers 434, 435, 436 (originally forest land) there were 38 families who
had allotment papers but no actual land for the same numbers. It was also
accepted that altogether there are 148 families at the same site, shifted
3 - 7 years ago, left without actual land allotment. They said 40 ha. and
is available. It is mostly rocky and already rejected by the families at
the site.
While the authorities told thousands of people, in a sit-in in Nandurbar
in Maharashtra, that the government would pass a Resolution and purchase
private land in the area has found no initiative till date. The proposal
to set 316 ha. of forest land was in a soup, they said, facing an umpteen
number if questions and queries from forest department. On insistence by
the hundreds in a day long 'face to face', the officials gave a statement
to this effect.
NBA's stand that the claims made in the Affidavit by Maharashtra before
the Supreme Court regarding availability of land to an extend of 449 ha.
and readiness to raise the dam height to 110 mts. were actually baseless,
has been vindicated once again. NBA's position of no displacement and
situation of injustice, imposition of threat and submergence hence again
stands justified. It is now remains to be see that whether the dam will be
stalled at 85 mts. (excluding humps). With the Supreme Court not
permitting construction of further 10 mts. during the hearing of May 7th,
what stand would the Govt. of Maharashtra take on further construction on
July 22nd, the next hearing.
The questions applies to Madhya Pradesh (MP) with a difference that MP has
not been able to resettle not one single family in MP, while there are
more than 30,000 to be resettled. MP has, however, raised the Inter-State
Water dispute once again through a separate case with a prayer to have
second Tribunal for a complete review of dam. Both the cases, this and
NBA's, will be heard simultaneously on July 22nd. The question still
remains who would be responsible for submergence, not just damage to
property, but the devastation through destruction of life and resources
this monsoon.
While the Andolan is ready to take up the challenge, through a fight to
finish, how will the Government?
(Medha Patkar) (Keshav Vasave)
(Noorjie Padvi)