Change of purpose? Sardar Statue, tourism project on land acquired for Narmada dam, says official document

By A Representative
Is the Gujarat government set on a developing high-profile tourism spot, which would include the 182-metre high statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on the land acquired for the Sardar Sarovar dam – signifying a change of purpose? It would seem so, if you goes by a right to information (RTI) query is any guide. The statue is proposed as the highest bust on earth, with the cost of Rs 3,000 crore. The RTI query was filed with a Gujarat government revenue office by senior activist Kirit Rathod, who demanded official documents concerning land acquisition for the Sardar statue project, including orders, if any, regarding this.
The reply, which was given by the Narmada district collectorate’s office on February 18, 2014, said, the so-called Statue of Unity would be implemented at Limdi village, Nandod taluka, Narmada district. “The Sadhu bet as well as the surrounding area was acquired for the Narmada project, and it is in possession of mamladtar’s office, Nandod, ever since August 23, 1967. Hence, there is no need for fresh acquisition of land for the proposed project.”
Calling this a “very serious matter”, Rathod, who is with the Dalit rights body Navsarjan Trust, Ahmedabad, said, this suggests that the purpose for which the land was acquired – building of the dam – is now set to change. If earlier it was to build the Sardar Sarovar dam, now it would become a tourism project, which would include the Sardar Statue. “How can the Gujarat government change the purpose of land acquisition like this”, the senior activist wonders.
These facts have come light against the backdrop of demand by villagers surrounding the Sardar Sarovar dam to “return” the land, acquired for the dam. The land, they say, has remained unused till now, and the purpose for which it was acquired has been “fulfilled”. Even the Kevadia colony, built on the acquired land, is being slowly getting depopulated. Hence, there is little reason why its leftover should remain with the Gujarat government any more.

Kirit Rathod

The villagers have simultaneously been demanding “fair compensation” for the land which was taken away from them for the dam. According to them, they should be paid compensation on par with the Narmada dam oustees of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The oustees, including landless, are being paid an alternative plot of land for cultivation, a house in a rehabilitation colony which has all the facilities of education and health, apart from some cash compensation. The Gujarat government has so far refused to agree.
Significantly, while the RTI reply does not mention it, the rural folk of as many as 70 villages, mostly tribals, were last year served notice that they should agree to a proposal from the Gujarat government for land acquisition for tourism project, as and when it takes place. The notice threateningly tells the village panchayats that in case they do not agree with the notice, they had better face “serious consequences.”
This flared up the tribals of 70 villagers, who formed Sitter Gaam Adivasi Sangathan, to fight against land acquisition for the tourism project. The fear of land acquisition was further aggravated following the decision of the Gujarat government to build a weir across the Narmada river, about 12 kilomtres downstream of the Sardar Sarovar dam. Called Garudeshwar weir, it is supposed to store water in the 12 km stretch starting at the Narmada dam, to be used for water sports, on one hand, and supplying water to industry, on the other.

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

Ahmedabad's Sabarmati riverfront under scrutiny after Subhash Bridge damage

By Rosamma Thomas* Large cracks have appeared on Subhash Bridge across the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, close to the Gandhi Ashram . Built in 1973, this bridge, named after Subhash Chandra Bose , connects the eastern and western parts of the city and is located close to major commercial areas. The four-lane bridge has sidewalks for pedestrians, and is vital for access to Ashram Road , Ellis Bridge , Gandhinagar and the Sabarmati Railway Station .

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

No action yet on complaint over assault on lawyer during Tirunelveli public hearing

By A Representative A day after a detailed complaint was filed seeking disciplinary action against ten lawyers in Tirunelveli for allegedly assaulting human rights lawyer Dr. V. Suresh, no action has yet been taken by the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, according to the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).

Myanmar prepares for elections widely seen as a junta-controlled exercise

By Nava Thakuria* Trouble-torn Myanmar (also known as Burma or Brahmadesh) is preparing for three-phase national elections starting on 28 December 2025, with results expected in January 2026. Several political parties—primarily proxies of the Burmese military junta—are participating, while Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) remains banned. Observers expect a one-sided contest where junta-backed candidates are likely to dominate.

From crime to verdict: The 27-year journey that 'rewarded' the destroyers of Babri Masjid

By Shamsul Islam Thirty-three years ago, on December 6, 1992, a 16th-century mosque was reduced to rubble by a frenzied mob orchestrated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political fronts. The demolition was not a spontaneous outburst of Hindu sentiment; it was the meticulously planned culmination of a hate campaign that branded Indian Muslims as “Babur-ki-aulad” and the Babri Masjid as a symbol of historical humiliation.

Global LNG boom 'threatens climate goals': Banks urged to end financing

By A Representative The world is on the brink of an unprecedented surge in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development, with 279 new projects planned globally, threatening to derail international climate goals and causing severe local impacts. This stark warning comes from a coalition of organizations—including Reclaim Finance, Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, and others—that today launched the " Exit LNG " website, a new mapping project exposing the extent of the expansion, the companies involved, and their bank financiers.

Search This Blog