Hundreds of adivasis affected by the Man project capture the dam site
Indefinite dharna at dam site begins today
Today, early in the morning, hundreds of adivasis affected by the Man
Project in Dhar district, stormed and occupied the dam site stopping any
further construction of the dam. The affected families have declared that
until the State government completely rehabilitates all the affected
families by allotting them cultivable agricultural land as per the policy,
work on the dam will not be permitted. Representatives from the Sardar
Sarovar and Maheshwar projects on the Narmada are also present in the
ongoing dharna.
The affected families of the Man project have being struggling for their
rights for the past 4 years. In spite of the fact that there exist
government orders besides a clear State policy laying down the principles
of rehabilitation, the government, ignoring all these rehabilitation
guidelines, began construction of the dam last November without carrying
out any rehabilitation whatsoever. On 24th January 2001, the affected
families held a demonstration in front of the District Headquarters in Dhar
demanding the immediate stopping of the construction of the dam. They also
demanded that the land for land policy be followed in the rehabilitation
process. On 30th January 2001, the government, while admitting that no
rehabilitation had been done, ordered the immediate stoppage of
construction work on the main center portion. However on 1st February
without any informing or consulting the people, the construction of the dam
was commenced yet again. Even in the first meeting of the 'Punarvas Ayojan
Samiti', the voice of the affected people was suppressed without giving due
consideration to the concerns they raised regarding rehabilitation.
According to the information provided by the government in this meeting,
993 families will be affected this year if the construction of the dam
continues. In other words, about 5000-6000 adivasis are slated for
displacement with all their legal rights violated and no rehabilitation
provided.
The affected families have decided in order to safeguard their rights, to
capture the dam site and prevent further construction of the dam. From late
last night men and women from the submergence villages began to gather
together. At 7.00 o'clock in the morning, under the leadership of Smt
Chittaroopa Palit of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Shri Bhuwansingh, Sarpanch
of village Khedi, Smt Bhondribai of village Khanpur, Urmila Patidar and
Mangat Verma from Maheshwar dam and Shri Bhagwan Mukati from the Sardar
Sarovar region, about 1000 project affected people captured the dam site
and began a dharna there. At the time of writing the press note, the Dhar
Collector and a large police force had already arrived at the dam site,
while the will of the people grows stronger as they sing and dance in their
struggle for their rights.
The Man project is one of the 30 large dams envisaged in the Narmada Valley
Development Project. 17 adivasi villages are going to be affected by this
project. In spite of there being a clear policy of land for land in
rehabilitation, in 1990-91 the government without informing the project
affected families about their legal rights or the provisions of
rehabilitation, threatened and coerced few families to accept small amounts
of cash as compensation. In 1997 the affected families were issued notices
ordering them to clear out of their villages. At this instance the affected
families decided to organize themselves under the banner of the Narmada
Bachao Andolan and fight for their rights.
In this time of intense struggle by the people, during which the Andolan
undertook an indefinite fast forcing the government to dialogue with the
project affected and recognize their rights. Consequently the State
government passed an official notice ordering the formation of the
'Punarvas Ayojan Samiti' constituted by People's Representatives,
Government officials, activists of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and
representatives from the affected villages. In this official order it is
unambiguously stated that the rehabilitation of the affected families
slated for submergence should be completed by December 31st of the previous
year. Post 1999 not a single adivasis family has been rehabilitated and
this violation of the order is being pursued with the further construction
of the dam. Till today only 22 families have been given land, that too
which is either encroached land or uncultivable. From village wise surveys
it is clear that the government figures of the number of affected families
is a gross underestimate.
In 1984 this project was given a conditional clearance by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests. According to the pre-conditions laid down the
State is bound to adopt a land based rehabilitation policy. However since
the State of Madhya Pradesh tried to adopt the policy of cash compensation
instead, the Ministry of Environment and Forests placed this project on its
Black List in 1994.
Even the projected irrigation gains from the project have been proven to be
an illusion. In 1998 when the 'Task Force' investigated the existing
situation in the command area of the Man project it was found that 54% of
this area was already irrigated while the remaining land was undulating and
not suited for irrigation. Surprisingly 1891 hectares of the proposed
command area is already irrigated while the remaining 1186 hectares of land
is not suited for irrigation. It is clear that more than 50% of the
proposed command area has irrigational facilities and around 1200 hectares
can be irrigated by efficiently utilizing the existing irrigation
facilities, so the area proposed to be irrigated this year by this project
equals the area of land to be submerged this year.
Our Hon'ble President Shri. K.R. Narayanan in his republic Day address to
the entire nation elaborated on the indiscriminate displacement of adivasis
in river valley development projects and took a strong position against the
same. It is a pity that the evil he spoke of is being repeated in the Man
project.
In the Dhar district the State government has been boasting about the ways
the internet and the Gyandoot project are being used to help in the
development of adivasis, while in the same district the reality of the Man
project and the violations of the adivasis' rights and the failure in
rehabilitating them paints the real picture of the true face of the State
government. The dharna at the dam site will continue to ensure that the
affected families are not displaced without rehabilitation. The affected
families have warned the State that such submergence of thousands of
adivasis and their rights, the violations of the policy and government
order will not be permitted anymore.
Alok Agarwal
Govindsingh Rawat
Village Khanpura
The Man project affected adivasis who had captured the dam site and were
sitting on a dharna there have been arrested and brought to the Dhar
Jail. The police had used considerable force to arrest the protestors and
in the process badly manhandled Anitha, Sunitha, Saida and Badhi besides
others. In fact most of the young girls who were very vociferous in their
demands for justice were particularly ill-treated. The latest news is
that the police is yet to bring these girls and others who were moved out
of the dam site in two police vehicles to Dhar Jail. About 350 people
were arrested in all. They have been charged under Sections 151, 147,
294, 341, 323.
Alok Agarwal
Clifton
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