NBA to protest Madhya Pradesh "failure" to rehabilitate Narmada dam oustees, cites Gujarat success

By A Representative
In a major announcement, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), led by top social activist Medha Patkar, has declared its decision to hold a protest fast (chetavni upvas) from April 27 to 29, 2016 at Bhopal against the Madhya Pradesh government's alleged failure to rehabilitate thousands of Narmada dam oustees.
In a statement, the NBA said, “People from the Narmada valley will reach Bhopal on April 27 morning to fight displacement, disaster and inequality that is being bestowed on people in the name of development over the last 30 years.”
Over the last 30 years, the NBA said, while 14,000 Narmada oustees – mostly Dalits and tribals – were rehabilitated in Gujarat and Maharashtra and handed over land, “in Madhya Pradesh only 40-50 rehabilitated people were given land.” It added, “Even today, more than 50,000 displaced families are residing in submergence area.”
Recalling the Jha Commission report, which looked into corruption charges by government officials in handing over cash instead of land for land, the NBA said, “The families haven’t been rehabilitated. They have not yet been granted justice.”
“Yet”, it said, “The Modi government as also governments ofMadhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharastra governments pulled strings to increase the height of the dam by 17 metres, i.e. from 122 t to 139 metres. The construction of the gates is almost complete.”
As part of the protest, the NBA said, “People from various tehsils in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and different parts of the country would stage a dharna at their places in solidarity.”
“The time has come again that together we challenge the preparations made by those in power and involved in corruption to drown thousands of families in years old civilization of the Narmada Valley”, said the NBA.
Regretting that the report of the Justice Jha Commission, which was formed by the order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in the year 2008, is ready, yet it is not being allowed to see it despite being a petitioner for itws formation, the NBA said, “The NBA was not allowed to open it in the court, nor was the report given to the MLAs of the region.”
Currently lying with the Madhya Pradesh state assembly, the NBA said, refusal to open the report suggests how the government wants to hide corruption by the Narmada Valley Development Authority.
Meanwhile, it added, “The Supreme Court has sought ‘Action Taken Report’ from the state government regarding the report within six weeks' time.”
“The Jha report has shed light into how many fake registries in rehabilitating the oustees have happened”, the NBA said.
It added, however, the questions that need to be asked are: “How many crores of rupees would have gone waste in that? How many middlemen and corrupt government employees are involved in that? What all scams have taken place in the construction of houses, and rehabilitation sites?”
“It has to be found out which officials are involved in this, apart from finding out about money and land. Those who are guilty needs to be identified and punished accordingly. Even before we went to the High Court, the displaced people were being sent to jail, which was stopped by the High Court”, the NBA said.

Comments

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

Search This Blog