By A Representative
In an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has alleged that even though resettlement of 244 villages and one town is pending, and 32,000 families are still residing in the submergence area of the Sardar Sarovar dam, the rehabilitation of oustees remains incomplete.
Asserting that a whopping 16,000 families were removed from the list of those affected by submergence following a "review" of backwater levels in 2008-2010, the NBA letter, signed among others by senior social activist Medha Patkar, said, many of their houses were submerged in 2013, suggesting the reassessment was totally wrong.
The letter said, as on May 27, 2019 the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh admitted in a letter to the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), that 8,300 cases are pending with the Grievances Redressal Authority (GRA), responsible for adjudicating complaints of the dam oustees, while in 2,952 cases, eligibility for alternative land has not been been completed.
Asserting that thousands of houses, lakhs of big trees, government buildings, cultural, religious places will be drowned if the water in water levels reach the full reservoir level, 138.68 meters, NBA said, already water levels have reached 131.18 meters (which was approved by NCA for August 12), demanding, the level shouldn't go beyond 127 meters.
The letter regretted, currently NCA is controlled by NK Sinha, who does not have the ability to accomplish the huge pending tasks concerning rehabilitation and environment, water planning, regulation and monitoring etc., as he an electrical engineering and has no expertise on other issues. "He is playing Narmada's future", it added.
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