Skip to main content

Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra tribal oustees of Narmada dam 'not rehabilitated': NBA

By A Representative
The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has protested against the Madhya Pradesh government seeking to declare that all the tribal villages affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam as having been rehabilitated, a flawed stand, it claims, was also taken by the previous state BJP rulers of Madhya Pradesh, as also the present rulers of Maharashtra. Pointing out that the present Congress rulers had assured reconstitution of all rehabilitation committees, NBA in a statement wonders, why they have still not been formed.
“Where are the MLAs, MPs and ministers, who gave statements in favour of the affected people?”, asks NBA, pointing out, “The extent of plight on the tribals can be seen when one looks at Manilal Gopal Tadvi, aged 75, and his wife Judd Kaki, whose houses in Manibeli village of Maharashtra were drowned in 1993. Like many other Tadvi families, they have received no assistance.”
The situation is the same with “After declaring Bhitada as the model village of Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh in 2008, it is now abandoned for drowning”, the statement continues, adding, “Rayabhai of Bhitara, who had gone to demand the allocation of residential plots to eligible families affected by the illegal drowning of Sardar Sarovar dam, has been told by the tehsildar they have been given notice, and they should quit.”
Pointing out that many farms of Bhitada have also been drowned, NBA said, “In 2017 around 17 houses of Bhitada were suddenly demolished with the help of the police. They were not given any alternative housing plots, hence they rebuilt their houses”, adding, the Madhya Pradesh government “has not set up a rehabilitation site for even a single village in Alirajpur district… The housing plots were to be allotted yesterday. But this work has been postponed till Monday.”

Comments

TRENDING

If Maoist violence is illegitimate, how is Hindutva, state violence justified? Can right-wing wash off its sins?

By Swami Agnivesh* and Sandeep Pandey** There was major police action against Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Varvara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira on 28 August, 2018. Before this police arrested Professor Shoma Sen, Adocate Sudhir Gadling, Sudhir Dhawle, Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson on 6 June. Even before this Dr. Binayak Sen, Soni Sori, Ajay TG, Professor GN Saibaba and Prashant Rahi have been arrested and all these activists have been accused of having links with Maoists.

Rani Laxmi Bai, Tatya Tope 'martyred' by East India Company, Scindia's forefathers

Jiyaji Rao Scindia By  A  Representative In an email alert to Counterview, well-known political scientist Shamsul Islam has said that was “shameful for any political party in democratic India to keep children of Sindhias in their flock” given their role during the First War of Indian Independence (1857). In a direct commentary on Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia moving over to BJP, Prof Islam has quote from a British gazetteer to prove his point.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”