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DAM-L President Narayanan Assures Delegation on Narmada Rehabilitation (fwd)
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Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 11:12:33 -0800 (PST)
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subject: President Narayanan Assures Delegation on Narmada Rehabilitation
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Himanshu Thakker S A N D R P, Delhi
27.10.2000
President K.R. Narayanan Assures Delegation on Narmada Dam Rehabilitation
The President K.R. Narayanan assured a delegation led by former finance
Minister and former Vice - Chairman of Planning Commission Shri Madhu
Dandavate that he will raise the issue of displacement and resettlement of
the dam affected people, especially tribals in the Narmada Valley with the
Government. The delegation consisting of former Delhi High Court Chief
Justice Shri Rajendra Sachar, former Finance Secretary S.P. Shukla, well
known socialist leader Surendra Mohan and water expert Shri Himanshu
Thakker, met with the President today afternoon and raised the serious
issues thrown up related to the rehabilitation of oustees of the Sardar
Sarovar Project.
The delegation told the President that the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal
Award itself had laid down a series of instructions about the
rehabilitation of the oustees but these were being seriously violated. The
Tribunal had also asked for a master plan of rehabilitation to be prepared
within two years, which was not done even now. They added that the
situation of resettlement was extremely serious as it is, and the further
addition in height of the dam would complicate it even further. Given this,
they requested the President to intervene in the matter under Art. 339 of
the Constitution or in any other appropriate manner, and to see that the
basic issues are sorted out before the height was raised any further. The
delegation pointed out emphatically that the Constitution puts a special
responsibility on the President for the protection of the rights and
interests of the scheduled castes and schedule tribes.
The delegation informed the President that the recent judgement of the
Supreme Court, in its majority order, had permitted construction to start
immediately and go up to 90 m level on the Sardar Sarovar Project. However,
they pointed out that all the project affected persons till 90 m were not
yet rehabilitated, and there were no proper arrangements to rehabilitate
them fully, particularly in M.P. The M.P. Government had stated that out of
10 resettlement sites needed to resettle the oustees at 90m, only 5 were
ready so far, and that even the land acquisition awards were not passed in
six of the villages to be affected. The Court itself had noted these facts,
as also the report of the Grievance Redressal Authorities headed by retired
judges that there is slackness of the States in identification and
obtaining of land for resettlement. The M.P. Government had in fact
admitted on affidavit in the Court that it had no land, and the land
identified by it for resettlement was uncultivable. Under these
circumstances, the delegation said that the increase in the height of the
dam till all these issues were resolved would lead to a serious impact on
the oustees, most of whom were tribals.
On a query from the President whether it was true that the people are
resisting shifting even though Government is ready to resettle them, the
delegation told the President that the people had seen through bitter
experience that the Government did not have the facilities including land
to resettle them as per the Tribunal and State policies and hence did not
have any faith in the promises of the Government. There were many other
serious issues raised by the people including underestimate of number of
oustees, surveys being wrong, lacunae in policies and so on.
The President told the delegation that he would raise the issue with the
Prime Minister.
The delegation had requested the meeting with the President out of its
serious concern with rehabilitation of the Sardar Sarovar oustees as also
the issues of concern being flagged by the agitation of the Narmada Bachao
Andolan, whose 7 members including Medha Patkar are on fast in Bhopal right
now.
Himanshu Thakker
(For and On Behalf of the Delegation)
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