The Hindu, Aug 3 2107, Chennai: Those displaced by the Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have revived their protest against the Central and State governments to oppose the failure of rehabilitation as directed by the Supreme Court.
The Madhya Pradesh government had asked the people affected to vacate the dam’s submergence area by July 31.
Speaking on their behalf, activists of the National Alliance of People’s Movement sought solidarity from Tamil Nadu people to raise their voice against the poor treatment of the displaced people, who were now being forcibly evicted from their villages and moved into tin sheds. Addressing mediapersons here on Monday, environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman said the court orders on rehabilitation of dam oustees and its instructions to not evict the people until the rehabilitation was completed was clearly being violated in the case of the Sardar Sarovar project.
Dr. Gabriella, an advisor with the NAPM, said that the Narmada Bachao Andolan, which spearheaded protests against the dam project, has completed more than three decades, but the persons affected are still fighting for justice.
“Neither the Centre nor the Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat governments are willing to do anything for their cause. That is the reason why the displaced people have revived their protest,” she said.
Submergence threat
As the dam’s height was increased to 138.68 m, at the maximum level of flood, around two lakh people would be threatened with submergence in 192 villages, NAPM has said. Medha Patkar, who led the Narmada Bachao Andolan, had started an indefinite fast in protest from July 27 onwards on the banks of the river.
Web: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/narmada-protesters-seek-support/article19411815.ece
