Counterview

Harinesh Pandya, third from right, at the Agariya meet By  A  Representative The Agariya Hit Rakshak Manch (AHRM), an organization working among Gujarat's saltpan workers, has opposed the proposal to turn the Rann of Kutch into a huge lake. Floated by Jaysukhbhai Patel, managing director, Ajanta-Oreva group, the industrialist claims that once the lake on a 4,900 sq km takes shape, the barren Rann would become arable, and the water problem of entire Kutch-Saurashtra region would be solved.

A Srinagar protest on September 13 Counterview Desk Top rights-based organization based in New York, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has called upon India to free Kashmiris arbitrarily detained, especially those who have been held for “more than a month without charge”, even as insisting that the UN Human Rights Council, at its current session in Geneva, should “urge India to act on recommendations in the report of the UN high commissioner for human rights.” Also demanding that the upcoming meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, India’s international partners “should put human rights concerns at the center of their engagement with Indian officials and press the government to uphold international human rights standards”, HRW’s Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director, has been quoted as saying that India is making a “mockery of its human rights commitments by denying Kashmiris a voice in their future, jailing political leaders, and suspending basic freedoms.” The HRW statement, ...

Counterview Desk A United States Air Force expert, writing on India’s Chandrayaan -2 mission, has expressed the apprehension that Indian moon probe’s “failure” won’t stop an Asian space race that “threatens regional security.” Affiliated with the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Wendy Whitman Cobb, who is Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, believes like other space powers, India may be “seeking to improve its technology”, but advances can “also bring greater security concerns.” Currently, admits Cobb, “These efforts have been primarily civilian and peaceful in nature.” However, India’s turn toward the military uses of space, so much so that lately it has been developing its own military satellites providing services such as remote sensing, tracking and communications “with greater frequency” has begun to “concern” the neighbours. In her disclosure statement to an article published in the e-journal “The Conversation” Cobb, however, states that whate...

By Medha Patkar The first farmer of Asia was born in Chikhalda, if one is to believe archaeological researchers. A historic village, 50 percent of its population is of Hindus and 50 percent of Muslims, yet it has always remained peaceful. Chikhalda has struggled to save water, land and people along Narmada river.

By  A  Representative The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has announced it would be holding its 12th biennial conference of national coordination at Jagannath Puri, Odisha, on November 23-25, and the issues to be discussed would include the struggle of the Narmada dam oustees, implementation of the Forest Rights Act, amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the situation in Kashmir.

Polluted water from broken pipeline invades a farmland By  A  Representative The pipeline carrying industrial wastewater to the Gulf of Khambhat from Jhagadia industrial estate in Bharuch district has been found to have damaged for the eighth time over the last one and a half months. The crack, says a local environmental organisation, has occurred at Hansot, endangering agricultural farms.

By  A  Representative As the water level in the Narmada dam has reached 138.68 metres mark, which is the full reservoir level (FRL), ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, September 17, the Narmada Bahcao Andolan (NBA) has called for a major protest rally in Badwani, the town in Madhya Pradesh bordering Gujarat.

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 Alir...

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 Prades...

Counterview Desk In a major boost to those opposing the award to the Gates Foundation’s proposed to be awarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, three Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Mairead Maguire (1976), Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Karman (2011) and Shirin Ebadi (2003), have in an open letter called upon Milinda and Bill Gates to withdraw their decision, stating Modi is allegedly involved in human rights violations.