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

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.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

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 ...

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Dowry over duty: How material greed shattered a seven-year bond

By Archana Kumar* This account does not seek to expose names or tarnish identities. Its purpose is not to cast blame, but to articulate—with dignity—the silent suffering of a woman who lived her life anchored in love, trust, and duty, only to be ultimately abandoned.

Pairing not with law but with perpetrators: Pavlovian response to lynchings in India

By Vikash Narain Rai* Lynch-law owes its name to James Lynch, the legendary Warden of Galway, Ireland, who tried, condemned and executed his own son in 1493 for defrauding and killing strangers. But, today, what kind of a person will justify the lynching for any reason whatsoever? Will perhaps resemble the proverbial ‘wrong man to meet at wrong road at night!’

Search This Blog