Madhya Pradesh "misbriefed" Supreme Court on Narmada oustees, said just 1038 oustee families left out: NBA

By A Representative
In a clear indication of failure to get any positive indication in the wake of a Supreme Court hearing on Narmada dam oustees on May 13, the country's premier anti-dam organization, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), has said that the Madhya Pradesh government has “successfully” misbriefed the apex court on Narmada dam oustees.

The NBA alleged, the Madhya Pradesh government sent so far as to resort to “awful tactics, including unreliable affidavits", in order to show full rehabilitation, for ensuring that the Narmada dam is completed at the earliest.
The “briefing”, believes top social activist Medha Patkar-led NBA, has helped push the dam to “its ultimate height, moving towards closure of gates of the dam”, adding, this would “submerge all its black deeds that have cost the oustees a great deal.”
The apex court, even as allowing the dam to be completed up to 138.64 metres, had earlier ordered that gates of the dams should remain open the completion of the rehabilitation of all dam oustees. The Modi government has told the governments of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra -- all BJP ruled -- to work out ways so that the dam work is over before Gujarat goes to polls in December 2017.
“Madhya Pradesh government and its Narmada Valley Development Authority have given another blow to the process of eliminating corruption, preventing irregularity and illegality in rehabilitating the people affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project”, the NBA said in a statement.
Referring to the seven-year-long inquiry by the Justice Jha Commission, appointed by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh to look into allegations of corruption in the oustees' rehabilitation. The NBA said, while the Jha Commission report is with the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh since April 2016, “there seems to be no action taken” by it.
“What happened at the Supreme Court on the May 13 also indicates the same”, the NBA said, adding, “The apex court, while allowing the payments in cash/cheque, maintained that they cannot be disbursed without thorough scrutiny of the Jha Commission.”
The Madhya Pradesh government, against this backdrop, maintained that there are just 1038 families “yet to receive disbursement of some grant” for rehabilitating them, claiming, this figure which is an “underestimated since the Narmada Control Authority's {NCA’s) figure is 2,143.”
Disputing this, the the NBA said, the figure of those who have not been rehabilitated runs in “thousands”, the NBA has denied the allegation of the Madhya Pradesh government that it wants to “create barriers in the rehabilitation process.”
Seeking an independent authority to look into the rehabilitation of the oustees, instead of allowing things to be left to the Grievances Redressal Authority (GRA), a government body, the NBA regretted that the apex court granted “freedom” to the Madhya Pradesh government “to design the mechanisms of scrutiny”, allowing it to appoint a retired High Court judge as chair the GRA.”
“NBA feels this will open a Pandora’s box and expresses disappointment at the latest turn of events”, the NBA said, in a statement jointly prepared by Patkar, Ashwini VS, Rahul Yadav, Kamla Yadav and Kailash Awasya.

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.

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.

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.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

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.

Search This Blog