Skip to main content

Submergence fears trigger protests in Madhya Pradesh, as Gujarat moves to close down Narmada dam's gates

By Our Representative
Protests have erupted in the Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh against the inter-state body, Narmada Control Authority (NCA),which  allowed the Gujarat government to close down the Narmada dam’s 30-odd gates. This follows large-scale fear among villagers of the state's highly fertile Nimad area their houses and land, along with their means of livelihood, would be submerged.
In Kukshi town of Dhar district, people from 76 villages gathered to protest against the notice handed over to 6,132 project-affected families (PAFs) , who have been told that their houses, along with shops, schools, temples and mosques, would have to be vacated immediately, as the closure of the dam’s gates would lead to their submergence.
Organized by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, the demonstrators sounded the alarm that about 40,000 families would be adversely affected because of the closure of the gates, which would take the water levels in the Narmada dam’s reservoir up from the present 121.92 metres to 138.64 metres.
Most of the PAFs belong to the agriculturally rich western Nimad area, engulfing Badwani, Dhar, Khargon and Alirajpur districts.
Addressing the gathering, Bhakirath Dhangar of Chikhalda village said, “Narmada is our heritage. It is our wealth. It does not belong to the capitalists. The Shivraj Singh Couhan government of Madhya Pradesh is using force to evict us. We will not give up our fight for our rights.”
Vijay Marola, a young villager, noted, “Our gram sabhas would decide whether to allow our village to go in for submergence or not. Who is the government to decide it on our behalf?”
Mukesh Sipahi and Suresh Patidar of Nisarpur spoke about how about 3,000 families, 46 religious places, and 3,500 big trees would be uprooted in their area as a result of the planned submergence.
“Our cattle would be adversely affected. Potters, fisherfolk, traders and landless workers would all lose their livelihood. We would not let our motherland to be snatched away from us”, they added.
Devram Kanera compared the uprooting of villagers in the Narmada valley’s Nimad area with the recent killing of farmers in police firing in Mandsaur. “The Madhya Pradesh chief minister on both the scores has proved himself to be anti-farmer”, he alleged.
Kukshi MLA Surendra Baghel, supporting the protesters, said that the fight for justice would continue till they were successful, and he and his party, Congress, were with the anti-dam forces led by the NBA.
Addressing the rally, NBA leader Medha Patkar said, the governments of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have “insulted” the PAFs by allowing the gates to be closed down without rehabilitating them. “This would destroy cultural heritage and nature along the Narmada river. This is destruction, and not development”, she underlined.
“The only aim of closing down the gates is the BJP move to win the elections in Gujarat”, Patkar insisted, adding, “The gates’ closure is the outcome of the pro-corporate thinking of the Gujarat government and the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Those who are suffering are mainly villagers of Madhya Pradesh.”

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

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.

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah*  A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”

Delhi demolitions for G-20 summit: Whither sabka saath, sabka vikas?, asks NAPM

By Our Representative  Well-known civil rights network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), even as expressing solidarity with “thousands of traumatized residents of Tughlakabad and some other bastis in New Delhi whose homes have been demolished and whose lives have been ravaged both prior to as well as in the lead-up to the G-20 Summit”, has said this is in utter disregard to “their minimum well-being and gross violation of their rights.”