Narmada yatra begins to protest against forcible eviction of dam oustees

By Our Representative
In a sharp move, the anti-dam Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has begun its three day march at Badwani in protest against the "failure" of the Madhya Pradesh government authorities to rehabilitate Narmada dam oustees despite Supreme Court order, which required the villages going into submergence to be vacated after July 31, 2017 following complete rehabilitation.
Activists from Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and other states took part in the march, which was called "Narmada ki pukar", appreciating the oustees' refusal to vacate villages because of the inability of the state government to provide livable rehabilitation sites even a year after the apex court deadline.
Among those who participated in the march included senior judges of high courts Chandra Kumar, Gopal Gowda, and Abhay Thipsay. Others who addressed the march included NBA leader Medha Patkar and Swarajya Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav.

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