Several thousands oustees of the Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Upper Beda and Man dam led by Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) demonstrated in the State capital and began five-day Narmada Jeevan Adhikar Satyagraha on Friday.
Senior NBA activist Alok Agrawal along with four other dam oustees including Sakubai, Kalabai, Bhagawati Bai and Kishore Chouhan also began five-day fast in support of their demand for proper rehabilitation and resettlement of the persons displaced by the dam projects.
Criticising the State Government for its alleged failure in providing just rehabilitation to the project affected people, Alok Agrawal of NBA said, “As per the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of the State Government the dam oustees have to be allotted land and other benefits under the policy and resettled well before submergence. But there has been flagrant violation of the policy.”
“In its judgment delivered on May 11 the Supreme Court pointed out that the State Government has not offered land to even a single oustee and it had also not fulfilled any of its obligations under the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy due to which 89 per cent of the displaced farmers could not purchase any land. The Supreme Court directed that the policy must be strictly followed for oustees of all the dams.
Yet, thousands of oustees have been denied their rights especially the right to be allotted a minimum of 2 hectares of irrigated land,” Alok told. He also criticised the recent relief package announced by the State Government and said that it is inhuman because the Government has put the condition that the landless families should break their houses by July 15 in order to get the relief amount of Rs 2.5 lakh.
Meanwhile, several other organisations and civil society members have supported the agitation of the thousands of displaced persons who will camp in the city for five days.