The Telegraph, May 30 2017, New Delhi: Activists from across the country have urged the President to stop the submergence of 192 villages in the Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh for the Sardar Sarovar dam till the state government compensates and rehabilitates the 40,000 families that will be affected.
Some of them met President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday evening under the banner of the National Alliance for People’s Movements (NAPM) and submitted a memorandum along with the report of a fact-finding team.
The NAPM accused the authorities of violating the apex court’s directive to ensure complete rehabilitation by May 8, apprehensive that the Narmada Valley Development Authority and the government of Madhya Pradesh – one of several states the project covers – would start evicting people soon to close the gates of the dam at its full reservoir level.
“Till now the State has not done any survey which can list all the project affected families entitled for compensation and rehabilitation as per the rehabilitation policy…,” the NAPM said in its representation.
Among those who signed the representation were Hannan Mollah of the All India Kisan Sabha, Annie Raja of the National Federation of Indian Women, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Ashish Kothari of Kalpvriksh, and Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
They have sought the President’s intervention in getting the state to do a comprehensive re-survey so that no family is evicted without being first provided for. Also, they would like him to direct the state to assess the reservoir’s environmental impact.
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