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DAM-L LS: MP Minister Says Rehabilitation Impossible (fwd)
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subject: LS: MP Minister Says Rehabilitation Impossible
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Navbharat is a Hindi newspaper published in Madhya Pradesh. Sadho is
the Ex- Narmada Minister and currently the Social Welfare Minister of
Madhya Pradesh. She is also the elected Member of the State Assembly
of Madhya Pradesh for Maheshwar constituency.
Translation of news in Navbharat, 27 June, 2000:
REHABILITATION OF DAM AFFECTED IMPOSSIBLE : SADHO
Reporter
Indore, 26th June
The Minister for Social Welfare and Ex- Minister for Narmada valley
has raised a question mark on the very utility of the large dams
being constructed on the river Narmada - namely, the Indira Sagar and
Maheshwar dams as well as the proposed Omkareshwar dam. Regarding the
rehabilitation of the affected people and the electricity that is
expected from these Projects, she said that the rehabilitation of the
affected people is impossible and the purchase of electricity from
these Projects will be very expensive.
In a special interview with ' Navbharat ' unraveling the realities of
these dams on the basis of her experience in the Narmada Valley
Development Department, she said that there is no appropriate and
adequate land available for the full and fair rehabilitation of those
to be affected by the Narmada dams. She said that the situation for
those to be affected and displaced by the Sardar Sarovar is similar.
For these affected persons there exists cultivable land neither in
Madhya Pradesh nor in Maharashtra or in Gujarat. Expressing her
concern for those to be affected by the Indira Sagar Project she said
that the numbers of those affected by this Project is very large, yet
the rehabilitation of these affected people cannot be done as per the
stipulations of the Narmada Waters Disputes Tribunal because the
government does not have the necessary lands to be given in lieu of
the agricultural lands going under submergence. The affected people
are thus being given cash in lieu of their lands. Because of this the
social and economic lives of the affected people will be ruptured.
She said that the reservoir will back into the many rivers that drain
into the Narmada in this area, resulting in an increase in the extent
of submergence. The affected people have not received even cash
compensation in many cases, and many families are going from pillar
to post even for cash compensation. The state of the affected people
in Kasravad Tehsil is very bad.
Ms. Sadho who pronounced the task of complete rehabilitation of the
affected people as beyond the capacity of the state government also
said that the electricity to be produced by these Projects is an
unprofitable bargain. Giving the example of the agreement of the
state government with the National Hydro- Power Corporation, she said
that the state government had no alternative to this. Because of the
lack of financial resources, they had to sign an agreement with the
National Hydro- Power Corporation. Because of this the state will
receive only 12% of the electricity to be produced by these Projects
free. This is quite inadequate to meet the demands of the people of
the state. That is why the large part of the required electricity
will have to be bought which will certainly be available at very high
rates to the consumers.
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