The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has raised serious concerns about the alleged misinformation and incomplete responses provided in the Lok Sabha and Madhya Pradesh Assembly regarding the rehabilitation of families displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project.
According to NBA activists Shyama Machhuara, Mukesh Bhagoriya, Kailash Yadav, and Medha Patkar, despite decades of non-violent struggle that led to the rehabilitation of thousands, several thousand families still remain without complete resettlement. The activists claim that this ongoing neglect is in violation of various laws, policies, and even Supreme Court and High Court directives from 2000, 2005, and 2017.
In a statement, the NBA pointed out that Member of Parliament Ramjilal Suman had raised pertinent questions in the Lok Sabha in July 2024, but the response from Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, was misleading. "The data provided misrepresents the number of submerged villages and underreports the number of displaced families," the NBA said, citing official Narmada Control Authority (NCA) records which earlier listed over 46,000 displaced families, as against the recent figure of only 32,552.
The NBA accused authorities of manipulating backwater levels (BWLs) to reduce the count of eligible displaced families. They also highlighted that in 2023, several areas deemed "outside the submergence zone" were actually flooded, resulting in loss of homes, crops, and livestock — facts that were not reflected in parliamentary responses.
Moreover, the NBA noted that over 6,500 rehabilitation-related cases remain pending before grievance redressal authorities and courts. Many displaced families continue to live in temporary shelters without receiving compensation or promised rehabilitation benefits such as housing grants or land for cultivation.
The organization also expressed disappointment that assurances given to displaced communities and resolutions passed by Gram Sabhas under the PESA Act were ignored. “This is not just a violation of democratic norms but an erosion of the rights of elected representatives and citizens alike,” said the NBA.
In the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, legislators Surendra Singh Baghel, Dr. Hiralal Alawa, and Rajendra Mandloi raised similar questions, but according to NBA, the state government has yet to provide clear answers or take necessary decisions.
The NBA called on the government to acknowledge the gaps in rehabilitation and take corrective legal and financial steps through the NCA. They emphasized that with 45 years since the project began, unresolved issues continue to impact both the rights and future of thousands of displaced families.
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