Gujarat is thirsty, its fields are parched. For whom have Narmada dam's height increased and its gates closed?

Counterview Desk
0pen letter to the President of India by Prakash N Shah of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat, and Dwarika Nath Rath of the Movement for Secular Democracy:
We the Indian citizens residing in Gujarat are here with submitting this memorandum with much concern and anguish. Of course it is all about the Narmada Project. Since the inception of this Project, Gujarat has passed through various phases, positive as well as negative. But the matter which causes the most anxiety is the present scenario wherein the very objective of the project has been changed. It’s basic objective was to make its water available for drinking and irrigation.
And yet Gujarat is still thirsty and its fields are parched. In that case whom do the height the dam increased and the gates are ready for? Who are going to benefit?
The recent factual details of the Narmada Project in Gujarat:

The main objective of the project was to make its water available for drinking and to irrigate the farm land. That objective has been totally changed.
In Gujarat, 17.92 lac hectares of agriculture land was planned to be irrigated instead, only 2 lac hectares of land is irrigated. Who is accountable for this lapse?
When the project was accorded the sanction for the canal network of 90,389 km had been approved. Now, the government of Gujarat talks of 71, 748 km canal network. So, it seems, a decrease of 18,641 km. By whose approval and why this decrease?
At the time of its inception, originally the estimated expenditure of the project was Rs. 6,000 crore. Now, as per the recent estimate it would cost Rs. One lac crore when completed. Who are accountable for this sky high estimated cost rise?
Even now, approximately 22,000 km canal network is yet to be constructed. As per the state budgets of the past 2-3 years an average amount of Rs. 9,000 crore is annually provided for and spent. In what way and for what purpose has such expenditure been incurred is beyond comprehension.
Where the canals – main and subsidiary – are constructed, there are often breaches and there are holes and pits which damage the surrounding areas including crops and villages. Whether state government is accountable for the same?Because of such breaches in canals, during the recent floods in Banaskantha district, the flood situation was aggravated and worsened. because of the sudden gushing out of the canal waters.
The districts of the Narmada and Bharuch where the Navagam Dam is constructed go thirsty and cannot get water for irrigation. During a recent public meeting the elected local MP of the ruling party complained and raised this issue. Who are to be held accountable for such predicament?
The Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) work done so far is not satisfactory in Gujarat, Maharashtra and M.P. (Madhya Pradesh). Because of the unsolved grievance about 200 representatives of the affected people of the submerge villages of are protesting, are on relay-fast (Dharana) at Kevadiya colony.
And in Madhya Pradesh (M.P.), the people of the areas submerged, half-submerged or waiting to be submerged have been agitating since long. Whereas in Maharashtra the tribals of the submerged villages have been pleading for the land.

What an irony! The Narmada Festival and Celebrations incurring crores of rupees, and Gujarat is still thirsty, Madhya Pradesh submerged and Maharashtra troubled! We the Indian citizens from Gujarat painfully raise this question: Why is it happening? We are concerned and therefore protest such festivities brazenly and shamelessly celebrated in the name of the Narmada.
Hence, at the stage, when approximately 40,000 affected families are going to be submerged, we humbly appeal your good self to use your clout and instruct the authorities concerned to take all prompt and effective steps to save the lives of the affected, submerging people.

___
Signatories include:
Girishbhai Patel (well known advocate)
Dr. Mallikaben Sarabhai (Danseuse and Activist)
Prof Rohitbhai Shukla (Well known Economist)
Swatiben Joshi (Retired Professor, Delhi University)
Ghanshyambhai Shah (Retired Professor, JNU)
Manishibhai Jani (Leader, Navnirman movement)
Hemantkumar Shah (Professor, H. K. Arts College, Ahmedabad)
Fr. Francis Parmar
Maheshbhai Pandya (Editor, Paryavaran Mitra)
Dineshbhai Shukla (Political Analyst)
Indukumar Jani (Editor, Naya Marg)
Dilip Chandulal (Concerned Citizen)
Nita Mahadev (Gujarat Loksamiti)
Gautam Thaker (PUCL),
Others

Comments

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

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.

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

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah 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".

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

As India logs historic emissions drop, expert warns govt against 'policy blunders'

By A Representative In a significant development that underscores the rapid transformation of India's energy landscape, new data reveals the country recorded its largest drop in power sector emissions in 2025. However, a top power sector analyst has urged the Union Government to view this "silver lining" as a stark warning against continuing to invest in new coal, large hydro, and nuclear projects, which he argues could become "redundant" stranded assets.

Search This Blog