Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar here on Thursday announced that a ‘rally for valley’ would start on Friday. She said the Government has been increasing the water level of Sardar Sarovar Dam against the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court.
While talking to media persons here, Patkar said that the NBA will start its ‘rally for the valley’ on Friday from Indore to resume its protest against increasing the water level of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the submergence of villages that it will cause.
Patkar told that a 'Narmada Jal - Zameen Haq Satyagrah' (Satyagrah for Narmada water and land rights) will also start on Saturday in Badwani district of the state.
She said the government has been increasing the water level of Sardar Sarovar Dam against the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court and is preparing to close the dam with gates.
“About 45,000 families have yet to be rehabilitated. Only 50 families in Madhya Pradesh have been rehabilitated,” Patkar said, accompanied by socialist leader and former MlA Sunilam.
She points out that the ground reality is that till date only about 40-45 families have been allotted land in the rehabilitation procedure. 45,000 families are till forced to live in the catchment area of the dam. Due to the government's lack of concern, thousands still inhabit the area that remains under the threat of being submerged in the upcoming monsoons.
Madhya Pradesh is not going to get even a drop of water from Sardar Sarovar and yet it's the people of this state who are most affected by the project, she said.
Increasing the water level means that entire human habitations, including arable land, animals and trees, would be submerged, she said.
The only people who will benefit from increasing the water level are those belonging to big business, such as Adani and Ambani, she said.