Statement on the Narmada dam issue by Indian citizens in the U.S.
As Indian citizens living in the U.S., we are concerned about the happenings in India especially those that affect the lives of people on a large scale. This statement is concerned with the situation in the Narmada valley following recent construction on the Sardar Sarovar dam which raised its height from 80.3 metres to 88 metres (effectively). We have tried to arrive at a balanced opinion about the situation based upon newspaper reports, press releases, and other sources of information. Our analysis of the situation troubles us very much, and we would like to share our concerns. A detailed analysis of the submergence is given in the Frontline report July 3-16, 1999 [1].
The Events:
Supreme Court ruling of 1999 and consequent developments: On February 18, 1999, the Supreme Court lifted the 4-year long stay on the Sardar Sarovar dam and permitted raising the height of the dam upto 85 m and asked to hear from the P.D. Desai commission appointed by the Gujarat government to assess the rehabilitation measures in Gujarat state. In a later hearing in May, the Court did not grant permission to raise the dam to raise the dam further to 90 m, but permitted 3 m of humps which would make the effective height 88 m. This is likely to submerge upto 60 villages displacing about 2500 families, mostly tribal. ([2], Times of India, 18 June)
Satyagraha by the people of the valley: In the absence of rehabilitation measures and a place to move, the people of the villages about to be submerged have determined not to move to non-existent rehabilitation sites. They have taken up a non violent satyagraha since June 20th ([2], Times of India, 18 June).
Our reading of the situation:
On studying the different reports, evidence from those who visited the valley and seeing on-site video tapes, here are the conclusions we have reached.
NWDT stipulations for rehabilitation: According to the NWDT (Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal which governs the implementation of the project), land must be made available to displaced people at least a year before the submergence of the villages, and that rehabilitation efforts must be complete six months before submergence ([3], Frontline, vol. 16, No: 06, March 13-26, 1999). Since it has not been expressly verified that the above provisions are met before the construction started on February 19, this is a violation of the conditions stipulated by the NWDT.
Land availability for the families to be submerged this summer: The governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat filed affidavits in the Supreme Court claiming availability of land for all those to be displaced till the dam reaches 90 m. A press release issued by the Narmada Bachao Andolan on 19 February 1999 [4] claims that the affidavit filed by the Maharashtra government (upon which the Supreme Court decision was based) has been proved false.
In a specific instance in Nandurbar district, Maharashtra, people were told that there was 285 hectares of land in Amli village meant to rehabilitate 185 families. When 1000 tribal people along with the officials went to the site, it was found that only 2 hectares of stony uncultivable land is available. This instance has been videotaped, with the Deputy Collector admitting explicitly that the affidavits were effectively false. Another press release from the Narmada Bachao Andolan on May 25 1999 [8] sketches a similar story for the rehabilitation site in Rozva, where 148 families already resettled there have no land.
This does not inspire much confidence in the overall resettlement
and rehabilitation arrangements that are
claimed to have been made for the people about to be displaced by
the latest phase of construction. We do not find counter-arguments such as those in the
statement by Mr. L. Mansingh, Managing Director, Sardar Sarovar Nigam Ltd., ([5], Letters
to the Editor, The Hindu, June 19 1999) to be very convincing. Specifically, while he
refers to the fact that the P. D. Desai commission has
submitted its report, it is not clear what its findings were and how they will influence future decisions.
Past rehabilitation record: The Frontline report [3] indicates that a rehabilitation survey in Gujarat showed that out of 2761 families who moved from Madhya Pradesh, 2282 have been given no land or uncultivable fragmented land or land without title, in violation of the NWDT resettlement scheme. We have videotape of a temporary rehabilitation site in Gujarat where the families have been staying for 7 years, in tin-roofed sheds working as landless laborers without access to proper shelter, water, health care, education or electricity. The recent deaths of 7 people due to a mysterious illness ostensibly resulting from unsafe drinking water, one week after moving to the rehabilitation site in Gujarat, underlines the situation. ([6], The Statesman, April 25, 1999).
Violence against protestors: The police has used violence
several times in the past against the Narmada valley people protesting peacefully. ([7],
The Hindu, April 23, 1999. Narmada Diary by Anand Patwardhan).
What we as Indian citizens would like to see done:
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References:
[1] The Threat of Submergence. http://www.the-hindu.com/fline/fl1614/16140350.htm
[2] Dam Oustees plan satyagraha. http://www.timesofindia.com/180699/18indi19.htm
[3] A Triumph for Gujarat. http://www.the-hindu.com/fline/fl1606/16060440.htm
[4] Press Release from NBA: Rehabilitation Officer Admits Affidavits Are False. http://www.narmada.org/rehab.html
[5] Narmada Dam - All aspects taken care of. http://www.hinduonline.com/today/stories/0519252c.htm
[6] Deaths at Narmada camp put Gujarat govt in a spot. The Statesman, April 25, 1999.
[7] Violence against dam-protestors. http://www.indiaserver.com/thehindu/1999/04/23/stories/04232121.htm
[8] People expose claims of land availability. http://www.narmada.org/landclaim.html