Narmada Samachar | नर्मदा समाचार - संघर्ष और निर्माण के तीन दशक

50 years ago, when the Sardar Sarovar Dam was conceived by the government of India on the river Narmada, there was little or no knowledge about the widespread ecological crisis that it would bring about and disrupt the lives of lakhs of people living on its banks, forests and valleys since thousands of years. Narmada Bachao Andolan has been on the forefront of the struggle of the people of the Narmada against forceful and unjust displacement. Once again, in the year 2017, the government is on a warpath to uproot people by increasing the height of the dam without giving compensation or rehabilitation.

Gandhi Smarak vandalised by Madhya Pradesh government to disrupt indefinite hunger strike started by Narmada Bachao Andolan.

The first day of indefinite hunger strike was attacked at dawn in the cover of ‘power cut’ wherein police uprooted the Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat, Badwani in a bid to deter protestors. This is a violent attack on the principles of non-violence expounded by Mahatma Gandhi and practiced for last 32 years by the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

The Supreme Court has directed the government to complete all rehabilitation work of the villages and towns to be affected by the submergence caused due to raising the height of the dam and closing its gates. Rehabilitation work is far from over and the government is is falsely claiming ‘zero balance’ in rehabilitation i,e all rehabilitation is complete. More than 50,000 people from the villages of Nimad came out against this gross misuse of powers.

Day Three of the Indefinite Fast | Jal Satyagraha Starts | Click here for details

All-party support extended to Narmada Bachao Andolan
Madhya Pradesh, 22 July: Lokmanch organised by Narmada Bachao andolan was attended by parliamentarians and leaders like Digvijay Singh (Congress), D. Raja (CPI), Badal Saroj (CPI), CP Narayan CPI(M), Ali Anwar JD(U), Kantilal Bhuriya, Alok Agarwal (AAP), Satyawan (SUCI). Over 50,000 people attended the meeting and vowed that without rehabilitation and compensation, not a single one will move. MP government responded by conducting a ‘mock drill’ of armed troops in a bid to scare people to evict their homes.

Denial of Debate in Assembly by People’s Representatives and their Arrest is anti-democratic

Badwani, Madhya Pradesh, 26 July 2017: In the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the opposition Congress MLAs raised their voice on the important issue of submergence and forced evictions due to Sardar Sarovar dam in Narmada Valley. We expect that Modi Ji or Shivraj ji, who don’t believe in democracy in Narmada valley or elsewhere, will not sit as mute spectators, but will respond. Dialogue, which the MP government should have done when they passed through these villages during Seva Yatra, now has to be conducted on the political platform, because that’s the only way out.

The denial of the permission by the Vidhan Sabha speaker to debate the issue is completely undemocratic and a contempt of the people’s mandate. In the Rajya Sabha too, Mr. Digvijay Singh ji (former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh), Mr. D. Raja (Communist Party of India), Mr. Ali Anwarji and Sharad Yadavji of JD (U) etc. raised the issue during question hour and requested debate under call attention, which was rejected by the deputy Chairperson, but at least it should have been allowed in the State assembly, after all it is the biggest issue today facing the state.

We welcome the initiative taken under the leadership of Shri Ajay Singh, along with MLAs Bala Bachan, Surendra Singh Baghel, Ramesh Patel and others, who raised the issue affecting 40,000 families to be displaced and evicted for a project, which is not going to give neither water nor electricity to the people of Madhya Pradesh.

World-wide support to Narmada Bachao Andolan

Online petition endorsed by people from 29 countries, including thinker Noam Chomsky. Asian Peasant Coalition with over crores of members in 10 countries extended support to NBA.

Solidarity Programmes Across the country
Support from across the country continues to pour in. Today a number of solidarity programmes were held, starting with Kisan Sangharsh Samiti’s in Tapti Sarovar of Multai, MP; protest demonstration by mass organizations in Bhopal; in Jabalpur a solidarity programme by Mahakaushal support groups (Marxist Communist Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Barghi Dam visthapit sangh, ,Jhanshighat Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh Kisan Sabha, Chutka parmanu sanyatr virodhi sangharsh samiti, Janvadi Mahila Samiti, Madhya Pradesh Mahila Sangha, Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, Aadivasi Kisan Mazdoor sangathan, Manav Adhikar Seva Sangh, Dalit Adhikar Sangh, Bundelkhand Mazdoor Kisan Shakti organization and others) in support of the struggle of the Narmada valley and fast against the government.

Many college students have taken to social media to extend their solidarity to the struggle and demanding an intervention from the government to save this catastrophe and do justice.