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dam-l LS: Narmada stories from The Hindu, July 25, 1999.
Following stories from Hindu of July 25, 1999.
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Arundhati Roy for awareness about Narmada dam
By Our Special Correspondent
JAIPUR, JULY 24. The celebrated author and Booker Prize winner, Ms.
Arundhati Roy, today asked civil society to wake up to the realities in
the Narmada Valley before it is too late.
``It is not for politicians alone to decide things. Especially when it
concerns the life of millions of people affected by the big dams like
Sardar Sarovar. As we sit here and talk, the waters are swelling in the
Narmada..,'' Ms. Roy said participating in a ``Meet the Press''
programme at the Pink City Press Club here.
This was her first visit to Jaipur. Ms. Roy was in the Rajasthan capital
along with Mr. Pradip Krishen, and Ms. Jharna Jhaveri, to espouse the
cause of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA).
``It is a very complicated situation there,'' she said referring to the
Narmada Valley where people wait for the swirling waters as if they wait
for death. ``Before I went and saw the things myself I was totally in
the dark,'' she observed. The most tragic aspect was that the majority
of the affected people are Dalits and adivasis - the victims of urban
planning.
Ms. Roy said it was the desire to remain human - in the midst of the
riches and the adulation brought by the Booker Prize that she turned to
the Sardar Sarovar Dam issue. She went to the valley, met people, and
read almost all the literature available on the subject. Then she
realised: ``We must fight this war in every possible way which we can.''
In 50 years the country has built about 3,300 dams. Still there is no
national rehabilitation policy for the displaced people. There has not
been any cost-benefit study or an evaluation of the impact of the big
dams. The dams have displaced 40 million people in the country so far.
Yet the flood and drought-prone areas have increased in the country
since Independence. There are many half- truths and untruths spoken
about the dams, especially the Sardar Sarovar.
The Sardar Sarovar project has eaten up Rs. 7,500 crores already. The
planners say another Rs. 35,000 crores would be needed to complete it.
The first dam on the Narmada cost 10 times more than it was envisaged
earlier. Yet it irrigates only 5 per cent of the target area... ``With
most of the dams projects there are hidden costs. Isn't there a
different way of developing? Can't we plan maximising the benefits and
minimising the damage?'' Ms. Roy asked.
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Burning of copies of Arundhati Roy's book condemned
By Our Special Correspondent
AHMEDABAD, JULY 24. Several voluntary organisations and intellectuals in
Gujarat have condemned the burning of copies of the Booker prize winner
Ms. Arundhati Roy's book, ``The Greater Common Good,'' by some Youth
Congress(I) volunteers for containing critical references against the
Narmada Dam project.
In a joint statement, they said they were appalled at the attempts by
the political parties and some pro-Sardar Sarovar Dam elements in
burning copies of the book by the renowned writer and described it as an
``undeclared censorship by the self-styled ''thought police`` in our
society to suppress and hide the facts from the people.
The Youth Congress(I) volunteers who made a bonfire of the copies of the
book in public earlier this week, also threatened all the book-sellers
in the State against keeping the book in their stalls. Not to lag far
behind, the Yuva Janata volunteers, the youth wing of the ruling BJP,
have chalked out programmes to burn effigies of Ms. Roy in different
parts of the State beginning from Ahmedabad today to protest against her
''anti-Narmada stand.``
The signatories to the joint statement said the move was ''height of
intolerance and undemocratic and unconstitutional behaviour`` and said
it was a sad commentary on the public life that instead of patient
debate the attempts to suppress any dissent was being encouraged by the
State. Pointing out that the attempts to physically prevent the
expression of opinions were not new for the struggle of the depressed
classes, the signatories said if the pro-dam elements had any case, they
could have in a democratic manner countered the arguments put forth by
Ms. Roy.
The Civil Liberties Union, the Adhikar Sangh, the Vadodara Kamdar
Sangathan, the Navsarjan Trust, as well as women's organisations such as
Sahiyar, Olakh, Swashrya, Drishti, and many other associations, have
signed the statement.