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DAM-L LS: SC/ST Commission Chairman Dares the Government (fwd)
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Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 08:53:08 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200108241553.f7OFr8U13436@DaVinci.NetVista.net>
Subject: LS: SC/ST Commission Chairman Dares the Government
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NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
B-13, Shivam Flats, Ellora Park, Baroda
Telefax: 0265-282232
Press Note - 24.8.2001
SC/ST Commission Chairman Dares the Government;
Promises to Meet Officials and NBA Representatives soon.
"If the Governments do not cooperate then the Commission will not hesitate
to use all its powers, judicial and constitutional, to ensure the rights of
the adivasis", declared Shri. Dilip Singh Bhuria, Chairman of the National
Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on the 21st of August,
at a day long public hearing in Nimgavan, (Maharashtra) of the adivasis
affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project.
Shri Bhuria also spoke at length about the traditional rights of adivasis
over the natural resources in the country. Tribal Self-rule, of which he
was one of the main proponents, is slowly getting realized he said.
Shri Bhuria also heard the representatives of canal, colony affected at
Kewadia. He promised to do use all his powers to support the cause of
adivasis. The Commission will call a meeting of representatives of the
concerned State Governments and resettlement authorities besides
representatives from the Narmada Bachao Andolan to look into the issues in
depth, soon.
Nimgavan is one of the villages in Maharashtra affected at the present
height of the dam. The public hearing was held before more than 1000
adivasi representatives from the villages affected by submergence in
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Representatives from Kewadia
colony affected villages, canal and Shoolpaneshwar sanctuary affected
villages besides adivasis from the resettlement sites in Gujarat and
Maharashtra were also present.
Supporters from Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and
other parts of the country were also present. Officials from Maharashtra
including the Nandurbar District Collector, SDM and Additional Commissioner
and other officers from Gujarat and few officials from Madhya Pradesh
attended the public hearing.
During the course of the hearing the adivasis placed the various issues
before Shri Bhuria in a very forceful and eloquent manner describing the
struggle over the last 16 years and the need for it to go on. The
violations of their rights and determination to get justice were
emphatically conveyed. Smt.Pinjaribai from Maal (Maharashtra) decried how
in the name of development adivasis are being sacrificed even today inspite
of special laws for adivasis preventing just that. Shri Bawa Mahariya from
village Jalsindhi (M.P.) stated that the Commission and Shri Bhuria should
come forward in ensuring not just the rehabilitation of the affected
adivasis but help in the struggle to conserve adivasi identity, customs and
adivasi society itself. Shri Bhimabhai, representing the adivasis who lost
their lands to the Kewadia colony in 1961, Shri Raijibhai from Kambhaikua
resettlement site in Gujarat and others, informed the Commission about how
the maximum displacement due to this project is in Gujarat yet the
Government of Gujarat is ignoring this fact. Shri Bhimabhai expressed deep
distress at the callous attitude of the Government in dealing with
adivasis..
Smt Medha Patkar while summarizing the presentations made to the Commission
detailed the various violations of adivasis' rights from the beginning of
the project till today. She stated that the denial of land rights is one of
the most blatant violations and makes a mockery of the special position
accorded to adivasis in the Constitution. The situation is such that even
the basic settlement of land rights is yet to be done in Maharashtra while
in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat the regularization of forest cultivations
remains to be done, and due to this these adivasis are being called
'encroachers', on their own lands! Besides this the scarcity of cultivable
land is a big hurdle in the resettlement process and today when there still
remain 40,000 families in the submergence area their resettlement is
impossible.
In conclusion Shri Bhuria condemned the sorry state of affairs of adivasis
all over the country today. The law of Tribal Self-rule gives legal powers
and rights to the 'Gram Sabha' in which the displacement and alienation of
adivasis without prior informed consent is prohibited. This has not
happened here or elsewhere and the result is that inspite of being the
oldest inhabitants of the country, in possession of most of the natural
resources the adivasis today are facing a survival crises in the country
today. Taking special note of the denial of land rights in the adivasi
villages he promised that he would ensure that the adivasis are legally
accorded rights to these traditional land holdings.
Joe Athialy
Clifton D' Rozario
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