Hundreds to Fast for Justice to the Sardar Sarovar Project Affected

Hundreds of people from Narmada Valley will observe fast from 27th to 29 April, 2016 in Bhopal demanding justice to families affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project.

The 30-year old struggle by the Sardar Sarovar Project affected people of the Narmada Valley, continues even today against the government’s tardy rehabilitation process. Even today, after the Jha Commission Report, the families who haven’t been rehabilitated have not yet been granted justice or rights, neither have the culprits been punished.

Image Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org

Along with the fast in Bhopal, people from various tehsils in Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat and different parts of the country would also stage a dharna at their places in solidarity.

Through the Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharastra governments, the Modi Government has pulled strings to increase the height of the dam by 17 meters. “We will not let them complete the increase of the dams height through JalSamarpan will save the valley,” organizers of the program said adding, "Now, the time has come again that together we challenge the preparations made by those in power and involved in corruption, to drown thousands of families in years old civilization of the Narmada Valley". They point out, “The question of Narmada is linked to the various people’s movements of the country and vice-versa.”

Justice Jha Commission, which was formed on the directions of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2008, had submitted its report on corruption after 7 years. The irony is that a copy of the report is not even made available to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) who is a petitioner in this particular case. NBA was not allowed to open the report in the court neither the report was given to MLAs, but only tabled in the State Assembly, and therefore not available publicly.

The Supreme Court has sought ‘Action Taken Report’ regarding the report submitted by the Commission, in six weeks time from the state government.

“It has to be found out which officials are involved in corruption, apart from finding out about money and land. Those who are guilty needs to be identified and punished accordingly. Even before we went to the High Court, the displaced people were being sent to jail; which was stopped by the High Court; the future action also have to be planned accordingly," organizers said.

In 30 years, 14,000 Adivasi and Dalit farmers in Gujarat and Maharashtra were rehabilitated with land. But in Madhya Pradesh only 40 to 50 farmers were given land as a part of rehabilitation with more than 50,000 displaced families still residing in submergence area. The action of Madhya Pradesh government to rehabilitate 4374 families earlier and 15,900 families now to the submergence area is unscientific and illegal. According to the organizers of the protests, dharamshalas, panchayats, temples, mosques, shops, markets and livelihood of lakhs of people cannot be drowned without rehabilitation as per Supreme Court orders of 1992, 2000 and 2005.