Land Acq-2004.pdf - Indian Social Institute

DISPLACEMENT/ NARMADA DAM - 2004
Compiled & Edited By
K. SAMU
Human Rights Documentation,
Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, India
8 TH Jan.
Patkar opposes move to increase dam height (4)
BHOPAL, JAN. 7.The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar, today led a protest demonstration
and sat on a dharna in front of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti's official
residence to draw attention to "glaring flaws" in the relief and rehabilitation programmes for
villagers being affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat, which is part of the mega-
Narmada valley project. Before leading a protest march to the Chief Minister's residence this
afternoon, she told newspersons at Gandhi Bhavan that Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, along with
the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government, appear determined to raise the height of the
Sardar Sarovar dam from its present 100 metres to 110 metres without even taking the States of
Maharashtra and Ra-jasthan into confidence. Later in the day Ms. Patkar was assured by the
Chief Minister, when she called on her along with a delegation of the dam-affected people at her
office in the State Secretariat, that the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat would be
consulted for the rehabilitation of the Narmada oustees. Ms. Bharti also emphasised that all help
would be extended to the Narmada oustees and the interests of the poor people would be fully
protected. (Hindu 8.1.04)
14 th Jan.
Narmada: Centre calls meeting of CMs (4)
NEW DELHI, JAN. 13. The Centre has called a meeting of the Review Committee of the
Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA) here later this month to decide whether the cost of
rehabilitation and resettlement of the people displaced by the Narmada dam in Gujarat should be
shared by the four basin States or be borne by Gujarat alone, which is the major beneficiary of
the benefits of the project. The meeting will also discuss the status of rehabilitation and
resettlement at the present height of 100 metres. The official-level NCA has not yet cleared
raising the dam height, as the rehabilitation of the affected families is not complete. The State
Governments have been directed to submit Action Taken Reports by the end of this month. The
NCA did, however, revise the next altitude of the dam to be 110.64 metres rather than 110
metres. This is the first time that the new Chief Ministers of the Narmada basin States —
Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Uma Bharti (Madhya Pradesh), Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan) and
Sushil Kumar Shinde (Maharashtra) —will attend the meeting of the apex decision-making body
of the Sardar Sarovar Project. The meeting will be presided over by the Union Minister for Water
Resources, Arjun Charan Sethi, who is the chairman of RCNCA. The RCNCA had last met in
August 2001.The major question hanging fire is whether the cost of rehabilitation and
resettlement should be shared between the four States. The Gujarat Government is seeking
costs from Madhya Pradesh and Mah-arashtra, which, in turn, have said that Gujarat should bear
the cost. (Hindu 14.1.004)
27 th Jan.
Medha Ptkar’s health deteriorates (4)
MUMBAl, JAN. 26. The health of the Narmada Bachao Andolan activist, Medha Patkar, on a
tiunger strike outside Mantralaya here, demanding rehabilitation of those affected by the Sardar
Sarovar dam, deteriorated today. On the fourth day of the stir, her blood pressure plummeted and
she vomited. Government doctors attended on her, but she refused medicines and continued with
the fast. "Patkar, already having blood pressure problems, was unable to speak," the activists
said. Ms. Patkar, with three of her supporters, are protesting against the increase of the dam's
height beyond 90 feet till the Project Affected People (PAP) are rehabilitated.(The Hindu 27.1.04)

28 th Jan
Govt. trying to speed up clearance for raising Narmada dam height (4)
NEW DELHI, JAN. 27. The Government is expeditiously clearing the decks for raising the height
of the Narmada dam from the present level of 100 metres to 110.64 metres before the onset of
monsoon. Three meetings have been scheduled in the next 48 hours to give clearance, both, at
the official and political level, to raise the height of the dam, even as four members of the
Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) are on a hunger strike outside the Mantralaya in Maharashtra
seeking full rehabilitation and resettlement of all of the dam-affected families. About 12,000
families will be displaced by the larger area that will be submerged at 110.64 metres.
The BJP now rules three of the four Narmada Valley States, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh
and Rajasthan, not to forget the party-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. The fourth
State — Maharashtra — is governed by the Congress-NCP combine. As such the pressure for
raising the dam height is immense. The Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and the Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, are expected to attend the meeting of the Review Committee
of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA) on January 28 to be chaired by the Union Water
Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi. The RCNCA is the apex body of the Sardar Sarovar
Project (SSP) under construction in Gujarat. But there is a Supreme Court order, on the basis of
which, the authority has drawn a schedule for raising the height of the dam. The apex court,
however, did also rule that the rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced populations should
be completed as per the Narmada Disputes Tribunal Award before the height is raised. Time arid
again this directive has been flouted. (The Hindu 28.1.04)
29 th Jan
Medha Patkar ends fast (4)
MUMBAI. JAN. 28. Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan ended her six-day fast today
after the Maharashtra Government decided that it would not give its consent to raising the height
of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada to 110.64 metres until all families in Maharashtra
affected by this were resettled. In a letter to Ms. Patkar, handed over to her personally by the
State Home Minister, R.R. Patil, the Government confirmed that it would not submit its Action
Taken Report (ATR) on rehabilitation at the crucial meeting of the Review Committee of the
Narmada Control Authority in New Delhi tomorrow. Unless the NCA is satisfied that all those
affected by an increase in the height of the dam have been resettled, clearance for further
construction cannot be given. Ms. Patkar and three others from the NBA have been on dharna
from January 21 and thereafter on a fast demanding a written assurance from the State
Government that the families that will lose their lands if the height of the dam is further increased
are first resettled. Despite the Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde's verbal assurance at the World
Social Forum, that the Government was committed to resettling those affected in Maharashtra
first before agreeing to further construction on the dam, no such assurance was given in writing to
the NBA. The State Government has declared that it will complete the process of scrutinising all
claims by project-affected families by March 30, 2004 and that within four months it will have
completed the resettlement and rehabilitation. (The Hindu 29.1.04)
Decision on raising Narmada dam height deferred (4)
NEW DELHI, JAN. 28. The Narmada Control Authority today deferred a decision on raising the
height of the Narmada dam in Gujarat at its meeting here, after one of the riparian States,
Maharashtra, raised objections. It is understood that the Maharashtra Government will oppose
raising the height of the dam from 100 metres to 110.64 metres at the meeting of the Review
Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA), the apex body on the Sardar Sarovar
Project, tomorrow. The NCA, chaired by the Union Water Resources Secretary, V.K. Duggal,
deferred a decision after the Maharashtra Government sought at least three months time for
rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced and dispossessed families in the State. The
Maharashtra representative said that surveys were still on and that about 450 families needed to
be rehabilitated and resettled. Taking note of Maharashtra's "difficulty'", the NCA decided to
present the matter as such to the RCNCA, which is meeting here tomorrow under the
chairmanship of the Union Minister for Water Resources, Arjun Charan Sethi. The Chief Ministers
of the Narmada Valley States — Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Ra-jasthan — are

members of the Review Committee. The Committee will review the status of the progress made
on the Narmada dam and on the rehabilitation and resettlement of the oustees. Significantly,
today the States were not ready with their Action Taken Reports as had been decided in the
previous meeting of the NCA's Rehabilitation and Resettlement Sub-Group. The NCA meeting
today was preceded by a meeting of the Sub-Group, chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of
Social Welfare and Empowerment, where- the States expressed their difficulties in resettling the
displaced populations. (Hindu 29.1.04)
30 th Jan
Review panel defers decision on Narmada dam height (4)
NEW DELHI, JAN. 29. The political-level Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority
chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, today postponed a decision
at its meeting here on raising the height of the Narmada dam in Gujarat and decided to meet
again on February 12. Later, Mr. Sethi met the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and briefed
him on the outcome of the meeting. Mr. Sethi told The Hindu that since Maharashtra opposed
the move to raise the height of the dam, it was decided to depute the Union Secretary of Social
Justice and Empowerment and Chairman of the Sub-Group on Rehabilitation and Resettlement,
B.S. Baswan, to the State to make a spot assessment of the situation and report to the officiallevel
Narmada Control Authority. Maharashtra, one of the four valley States, indicated its stand
at the official-level meeting of the Narmada Control Authority here on Wednesday itself when it
had objected to raising the height as rehabilitation work Was not completed at the present level of
100 metres. The other riparian States are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rafasthan. (The Hindu
30.1.04)
High-level meet on Narmada dam today (4)
NEW DELHI, FEB. 11. The high-level meeting to be held tomorrow to arrive at a decision on
raising the height of the Narmada dam from the present level of 100 metres to 110.64 metres is
likely to witness a political battle. The meeting of the Review Committee of the Narmada Control
Authority, to be chaired by the Union Minister of Water Resources, Arjun Charan Sethi, will be
attended by the Narmada valley Chief Ministers, Uma Bharti (Madhya Pradesh), Vasundhara
Raje (Rajasthan) and Narendra Modi (Gujarat). Maharashtra is likely to be represented by a
Minister. In the Review Committee meeting on January 29, the Maharashtra Minister for Rehabilitation
and Resettlement, Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, had alleged that he was being "pres-sured"
by his Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat counterparts to agree to raising the dam height and
simultaneous resettlement of the project-affected families. The Minister had insisted that unless
all families were rehabilitated, the State could not agree to raising the height. (The Hindu
12.2.04)
Decision on Narmada dam height on March 4 (4)
NEW DELHI, FEB. 12. The Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA) is
believed to have informally decided that the work on raising the height of the Narmada dam could
be started next month and that the rehabilitation work could continue in Maharashtra at the same
time. A final decision to this effect will be taken at the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) meeting
to be held here on March 4. The llth meeting of the review committee held here today under the
chairmanship of the Union Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, asked the relief and
rehabilitation (R&R) sub-group chairperson and secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment, B.S.
Baswan, to submit his final report on the rehabilitation process in Maharashtra by March 3 to
enable the NCA to take a final decision the following day. On January 29, the RCNCA postponed
a decision on raising the dam's height on the Maharashtra Government's plea that rehabilitation
work was yet to be completed and subsequently directed Mr. Baswan to make an on-the-spot
assessment of the situation. Mr. Baswan visited Maharashtra earlier this month. At today's
meeting he suggested that rehabilitation and raising the height of the dam could be carried out
simultaneously. He is said to have praised some nongovernmental organisations involved in the
rehabilitation work. Sources in the Water Resources Ministry said the Chief Ministers of
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, all ruled by the BJP, lobbied for increasing the dam
height from 100 metres to 110.64 metres before the onset of the monsoon. (The Hindu 13.2.04)

Resist raise in dam height: Patkar (4)
BHOPAL, Feb. 23: Alleging that the rehabilitation of project affected people (PAP) of Sardar
Sarovar dam on Narmada river was still incomplete and that the Madhya Pradesh Government
has been deleting names of PAPs from the list, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha
Patkar today asked the government not to give consent for raising dam height up to 110 metres.
"Though Chief Minister Uma Bharti reportedly expressed willingness to allow increase in dam
height in the next meeting of Narmada Control Authority - slated for March - she must protect the
rights of oustees in Narmada Valley," Ms. Patkar told reporters here. Ms. Patkar claimed that
Madhya Pradesh Government has been deleting names from the list of project-affected families.
Government has reduced by 4,000 the number of families it claims to be affected at 110 metres
over a period of one year," she alleged. Also the government has failed to provide with one acre
of adequate cultivable land to affected families recognized by the Government, she claimed. (The
Hindu 24.2.04)
I will not allow Medha Patkar into Gujarat: Chief Secretary (4)
KEVADIA (VADODARA), FEB. 28. "I will not allow Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao
Andolan to enter Gujarat. She is against the dam per se. We are for the dam," said the Chief
Secretary, P.K. Lahiri, briefing a press party from Delhi on the multi-purpose Sardar Sarovar
Project on the Narmada, on the eve of a crucial meeting of the Narmada Control Authority.
The Authority, which will meet in New Delhi on March 4, will consider raising the dam height from
100 to 110.64 metres. Mr. Lahiri, who is also the chairman of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam
Limited (SSNNL), likened the 19-year-old, peaceful Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) to the
naxalite movement and said Ms. Patkar was a "law unto herself." Gujarat had resettled all the
4,750 families likely to be displaced at a height of 110.64 metres. Nearly 42,000 families would be
displaced in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, of which 18,000 are said to have been
resettled in the three States. (Refuting the charges, Ms. Patkar said: "To say that we are against
the dam per se would mean that we are opposing it no matter what. For many years we had a
dialogue with the Government asking them to show rehabilitation of affected people with land,
compensation of environmental losses, that the project was economically and financially viable
and that the real needy people of Saurashtra and Kutch would get the benefits. But the ground
realities are different. (The Hindu 29.2.04)
3 rd March
Narmada dam: should cost overruns get precedence? (4)
KEVADIA (VADODRA), MARCH 2. At the present height of 100 metres, the Sardar Sarovar
(Narmada) dam in Gujarat has reached a decisive stage —both, for the engineers and the
displaced populations. The State has sought permission to raise the height to 110.64 metres,
which is said to be the minimum level for generation of 40 MW power only for four months of the
high tide in monsoon through the canal head powerhouse. The underground riverbed
powerhouse is not ready. At the total height of the dam at 138 metres, it will displace 41,000
families and submerge 38,000 hectares Of habitation, agriculture and forestland. Thirty large
dams, 135 medium and 3,000 smaller dams are proposed to be built on the Narmada river
through Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The largest number of dams and
displacement will be in M.P. Of the total water flow of 28 million acre feet, 18 will go to M.P., nine
to Gujarat and the rest to Maharashtra and Rajasthan. In 2000, Gujarat built a bypass tunnel —
outside the Narmada Tribunal Award but with the permission of other States — to draw water for
irrigation to Ahmedabad, Vadodra, parts of Sau-rashtra and Rajkot. Through the 263 km of main
canal it provided water to the Sabarmati, the Mahi and smaller rivers, and finds itself "comfortable
with irrigation and drinking water" but is looking for more for "high precision, export-oriented
agriculture," according to the Chief Secretary, P.K. Lahiri. (The Hindu 3.3.04)
4 th March
Narmada Authority meet put off (4)
NEW DELHI, MARCH 3. The meeting of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) scheduled for
tomorrow to review the rehabilitation of the Narmada dam-affected families in Gujarat, Madhya

Pradesh and Maharashtra and to give its opinion on raising the height of the dam has been
postponed. No new date has officially been announced. There is a view in the Government that
the matter must be referred to the Election Commission so that it did not violate the model code
of conduct in view of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. After reviewing the progress
of the rehabilitation at the proposed height of the dam, the NCA, chaired by the Union Water
Resources Secretary, was to have taken a view on raising the height from the present level of
100 metres to 110.64 metres. So far the reports of resettlement have not been received from the
States, which were to have submitted the Action Taken Reports, while a team headed by the
Chairman of the Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R and R) sub-group is to submit its findings to
the NCA. All these were to have been discussed in a meeting of the R and R sub-I group
tomorrow before the meeting of the NCA. At the last meeting on February 12 of the politicallevel
re-' view committee of the Narmada Control Authority, chaired by the Union Water
Resources Minister, Maharashtra had withheld its consent for raising the height to the next level
and sought four months' time to resettle the families displaced. About 8,000 families, 600 of them
in Maharashtra, would be displaced at the 110.64 metre height. The State Government said it had
to resettle 177 originally displaced families and about 300 more, which were identified in
surveys. (The Hindu 4.3.04)
12 th March
Narmada height: Gujarat prays MP does not pour cold water (4)
AT ground zero of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadia, Gujarat, where the Narmada river enters
the state from Madhya Pradesh amid tonnes of steel, cement and machinery, a team of
engineers are raring to start construction—but they need a word from New Delhi. That word is
expected to come tomorrow when the Narmada Council Authority decides whether to raise the
dam height from the present 100 m to 110.64 m. Once the green signal comes, the Gujarat
engineers say they can start work "within seconds." But there's a catch. The Supreme Court has
said this can be allowed only if every person affected by submergence in Gujarat, Maharashtra
and Madhya Pradesh because of this additional 10 m height has been rehabilitated. While
Gujarat has largely got its act together, Maharashtra says it has 177 families out of 3,464 left to
rehabilitate. Madhya Pradesh says it's also got the job done but there is evidence that much of it
is merely on paper. The Indian Express travelled to the three states to find out how each stacks
up on this subject: (Indian Express 12.3.04)
13 th March
Height of conflict: Narmada talks to continue today (4)
NEW DELHI, MARCH 12 : CRUCIAL talks of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) on the issue
of raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to 110.64 metres has been postponed till
tomorrow as the report on the status of affected families is still awaited. The meeting is important
in the light of the feet that it is only at the height of 110 metres that the dam starts generating
electricity and water flows further up to Kutch and Saurashtra. However, according to the
Supreme Court order, the height can only be raised if every person affected by the additional
submergence is rehabilitated. According to the members of the NCA, the authority is yet to
receive the report of the rehabilitation and sub-group of the NCA It meet tomorrow after the subgroup
has conducted its meeting and submitted its report. All the basin states of Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were represented at today's meeting. In the last
meeting on February 12, the concerned parties failed to take any decision on the issue of raising
the height of the dam as Maharashtra stuck to its position of rehabilitating the displaced persons
before taking up further construction. Other states, however, want the construction and
rehabilitation work to go on simultaneously. (Indian Express 13.3.04)
17 th March
Thirsty Gujarat celebrates as Narmada dam height raised, Kutch to drink (4)
NEW DELHI, MARCH 16: DESPITE doubts over the level of rehabilitation of dam oustees in
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the Government today cleared an additional 10 metres for the
Sardar Sarovar dam. And within "seconds" of the Narmada Control Authority making its decision
official this evening, construction began at Kevadia in Gujarat. This decision was taken on

Saturday itself but was kept on hold until the Election Commission cleared it today. Gujarat now
says that the dam will be reach 110.64 metres within 120 days, just before the monsoons. Each
time the height increase comes up for clearance, there is controversy. But this time, Maharashtra
refused to file the Action Taken Report (ATR) on rehabilitation saying it would only do so when all
families were rehabilitated. Officially, this figure is 177 but the state government admitted to The
Indian Express last week that there could be an "additional 500." (Indian Express 17.3.04)
18 th March
Medha Patkar forms political front (4)
MUMBAl, MARCH 17. Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan today announced that she
and several others from the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) have formed the
People's Political Front (PPF) and that they plan to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Ms. Patkar,
however, refused to confirm whether she would contest from Rajapur, Maharashtra, against the
sitting Shiv Sena MP, Suresh Prabhu. "This is not a question of an individual decision," she said.
In the next few days, the PPF will release a People's Manifesto and also announce whether and
how many of them are standing for elections. Asked on what basis they would decide where to
contest, Ms. Patkar said that apart from areas where the constituents of the NAPM were strong,
they would go "wherever we are invited." The PPF is considering putting up candidates or
campaigning in constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and
Rajasthan. (The Hindu 18.3.04)
20 th March
Supreme Court to hear petition in Narmada case on March 26 (4)
NEW DELHI, MARCH 13. The Supreme Court will hear on March 26 a petition against the move
of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to 110
metres even before the completion of the rehabilitation of affected people. The hearing was fixed
by a three-judge Bench, comprising the Chief Justice V. N. Khare, Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice
S.H. Kapadia, when counsel for the petitioners mentioned it for an early hearing of the matter.
The petitioners, residents of Picchodi village in Madhya Pra-desh, in an application in the case
filed earlier by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, alleged that the NCA had cleared the move to raise
the height of the dam from 95 metres to 110 metres. Since the affected people had not yet been
rehabilitated, their habitat faced the imminent threat of submergence. The NCA's move — when
rehabilitation of the affected people at the heights of 95 and 100 metres was yet to be completed
in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra — was against the interim order of the Narmada
Water Disputes Tribunal and the direction issued by the Supreme Court on October 18, 2000 that
all the three affected States must complete rehabilitation before raising the height any further.
(Hindu 20.3.04)
Medha Patkar’s appeal to EC (4)
PATNA, MARCH 19. The Narmada Bachao Andolan has urged the Election Commission to stop
the Gujarat Government from raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam level from 100 metres
to 110 metres, saying that it was violative of the model code of conduct. The Andolan leader,
Medha Patkar, who participated in a dhar-na demanding the immediate arrest of the killers of
social activists, Saritha and Mahesh, said the objective was to influence the voters and violated
the directives of the Commission not to take up any new work after the announcement of the
election. Ms. Patkar also claimed that it violated the Supreme Court ruling of 2000 not to raise the
height of the dam without first taking care of the rehabilitation package. In a letter to the Chief
Election Commissioner, T.S. Krishnamur-thy, she said the Maharashtra Government had
accepted that it would take several months to rehabilitate the affected families. Urging immediate
action, Ms. Patkar maintained that the Gujarat Government's action was taken in undue political
haste. (The Hindu 20.3.04)
21 st March
EC stops Modi’s Narmada yatra (4)
Gandhinagar, March 20: The Election Commission on Saturday ordered the Gujarat
administration to immediately stop chief minister Narendra Modi's Narmada Pujan Yatra. The

yatra, between Ahmedabad and Kevadia, was stopped at Dabhoi taluka, about 60 km from
Kevadia. The yatra, to hail the NCA decision to raise the height of the Narmada dam from 100
metres to 110.64 metres, was organised despite the NCA's directions to desist from holding an
inauguration or foundation stone-laying ceremony while the model code of conduct for the
parliamentary elections was in force. Deputy election commissioner A.N. Jha called up Gujarat
chief secretary P.K. Laheri asking him to immediately halt the Narmada Pujan Yatra, which began
from Ahmedabad on Saturday. (Asian Age 21.3.04)
17 th April
Court declines to stay dam work (4)
NEW DELHI, APRIL 16. The Supreme Court today refused to stay the construction work
underway to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam from 100 to 110 metres. A three-judge
Bench, comprising Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice S. B. Sinha,
said that it would be very difficult to stop the construction on generalities. There had to be a grave
situation warranting interference. The Gujarat Government informed the court that work on
increasing the dam height would be completed by the end of June. (Hindu 17.4.04)
7 th May
Final hearing in July on Swamy plea to raise dam level (4)
NEW DELHI, MAY 6. The Supreme Court has adjourned to July the final hearing of the petitions
filed by the Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, and the Tamil Nadu Government
seeking raising of the water level of the Mullaiperiyar dam in Kerala from 136 to 152 feet.
A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice, S. Rajendra Babu, Justice G.P. Mathur, and
Justice S.H. Kapadia, posted the case for the period after the summer vacation. The court had
already allowed transfer to itself of a bunch of petitions (on raising the water level), filed by Dr.
Swamy and the Tamil Nadu Government, pending in the Madras High Court and a batch of
petitions pending in the Kerala High Court. During the pendency of the petitions, the Centre set
up an expert committee pursuant to the court's direction to go into the safety aspects of raising
the level beyond 136 feet. The committee recommended raising the level initially up to 142 feet.
The Centre, which accepted the report, in an affidavit said the level could initially be raised up to
142 feet. It also said strengthening measures suggested by the Central Water Commission and
recommended by the committee were necessary for the safety of the dam. In its response, the
Tamil Nadu Government urged the court to issue appropriate directions to the Centre and the
Kerala government for implementing the findings of the committee and to permit the State to raise
the water level up to 142 feet as an interim measure. However, Kerala urged the court to reject
the committee's "unilateral" report, as it did not duly take into account the State's concerns. (The
Hindu 7.5.04)
1 st June
State to focus on increase in dam height (4)
Ahmedabad, May 31: Faced with stiff pressure from dissidents demanding a change in his
leadership, chief minister Narendra Modi chose to perform Narmada Pujan at the sile at Kevadia
Colony on Sunday where he inspected progress in the construction of the dam. The work of
raising the dam height to 110.64 meters before the monsoons is in full swing at Kevadia. Mr Modi
said maximum utilisation of Narmada waters will be made for benefits of the farmers and a
scientific planning is being done for the distribution of the waters accordingly. Mr Modi also held
a meeting with top SSNL officials onSunday. He said the state government will now focus its
energy to raise the dam height to 121.94 meters by June 2005. The process of entering into an
agreement and power purphase agreement with the Gujarat Electricity Board for the 250 MW
power to be generated by the canal head power house in August is allso in its final stages. The
meeting also reviewed the interaction with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to plan
rehabilitation to take the dam height to 121.94 metres. (Asian Age 1.6.04)
11 th June
India figures prominently in UNEP report (4)
NEW DELHI, JUNE 10. The Narmada Dam controversy and displacement due to cleaning of

waterways in Tamil Nadu figure prominently in the United Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) report on "Environmental Refugees." The report claims that over 25 million people are
displaced due to natural disasters, development, resources abuse and environmental
degradation. India and China are the two most populous countries in the world that are also two
of the biggest dam builders. "Natural disasters have been taking place right from the beginning of
the history, but what is recent is the potential for large movement of people resulting from a
combination of resources depletion, the irreversible destruction of the environment and population
growth among others," it says. Suggesting that environmental refugees are emerging as a
significant proportion of the world's displaced, the report says that 25 million people are uprooted
due to environment causes, exceeding 22 million refugees of civil war and persecution. On the
Narmada Valley project, the report says that the chain of dams in Gujarat has dismayed many
who say the move could devastate the river. Activists claim that the completed project would
displace one million people. Many of the displaced were not consulted or properly compensated,
and most of the refugees are indigenous and tribal groups. "Most controversial has been the
Narmada Valley, where the Government demarcated 30 dams, including two large ones dubbed
as 'mega-dams'. It has attracted the widest protests and is still steeped in a controversy." (Hindu
11.6.04)
12 th June
Free land for Indira Sagar oustees (4)
BHOPAL, JUNE 11. The Madnya Pradesh Government today announced free distribution of land
to outsees of Indira Sagar project under a special Rs 40- crore rehabilitation package. "With the
dam height being raised to 245 metre, around 560 families will be affected by June 30, for whom
free land has been earmarked in Chhanera under the special package," the Madhya Pradesh
Industries Minister and in-charge of Harsud, Kailash Chawla, told reporters here. "We have
considered every adult earning member of the families as an individual unit and around 2800
applications have been received for the plots," he said. A compensation of 10 per cent of the
award money, ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs five lakh, was also being distributed among the
outsees, he said and added that Rs 102 crore out of Rs 113 crore has been distributed. "Even
those residing in the area on rent would be allotted plots," he said, adding 1500 sq ft and 2400 sq
ft plots would be allotted to outsees who possess 540 sq ft to 1000 sq ft plots and 2400 sq ft plots
respectively. Two stages of the three-stage development of land in Chhanera was almost
complete with 2085 plots and 1890 plots developed in both stages respectively, he revealed.
Public facilities like water, power and roads, as per the policies of Narmada Valley Development
Authority (NVDA), had been developed in the village, said Mr. Chawla. (The Hindu 12.6.04)
23 rd June
Sardar Sarovar braces for June deadline (4)
KEVADIA COLONY, JUNE 22: A DENSE cloud cover aver the Sardar Sarovar Dam last weekend
reduced visibility. Below, it made the engineers work even faster. It has been over 90 days since
the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) gave its go-ahead to raise the dam height to 110.64 metre.
Once achieved, power generation can begin, but tension had never been so palpable as it was on
Friday with the job nearing completion. Though six of the 22 blocks are still to be raised to the
110.64-m mark, senior engineers associated with the project are sure about completing the work
before monsoons lash this part of the state. "Earlier, we had set a deadline of July 15. Now we
intend to complete the work by June-end," says chief engineer P.M. Patel. With monsoon here,
Patel says work may be delayed by a day or two. "Not more than that." Excitement has been
brewing in Kevadia Colony, home to the technical staff, since NCA gave the go ahead. A team of
100 engineers, labourers have been working almost round-the-clock to ensure completion. But
intermittent rain is delaying work. Heavy downpour on Wednesday brought the work to a halt for
almost three hours. Even on Thursday, there was a brief halt. 'After we got the NCA nod on
March 17, we knew it will be like playing one-day cricket. We had to work fast as we anticipated
rain during the final moments of completion. Still, it will not affect our plans," says executive
engineer AY Gajjar. (Indian Express 23.6.04)
24 th June

Indira Sagar dam oustees still to be rehabilitated (4)
BHOPAL, JUNE 23. People from eight villages, including the town of Harsud in Khandwa district,
still remain to be fully rehabilitated even as the June 30 deadline for vacating this area falling
under the submergence of the Indira Sagar dam is just round the corner. The Indira Sagar and
the Omkareshwar dams in Madhya Pradesh, along with the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat,
are among 31 major dams that are part of the ambitious Narmada Valley Development Project.
The State Minister for Public Works, Kailash Vijay-vargiya, who returned here after taking stock of
the ground level situation at Harsud on Tuesday told The Hindu this afternoon that in all 120
villages were to be rehabilitated. People from 112 of these villages have already been resettled
and the process is continuing on a war footing to rehabilitate the rest of the villagers from 8
remaining villages, including the Harsud town, he said. The PWD Minister said that the
rehabilitation issue would not have taken such a serious turn if the previous State Congress Government
had initiated the rehabilitation and development process. (The Hindu 24.6.04)
27 th June
Bharti accepts lapses in Narmada rehabilitation (4)
Bhopal, June 26: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti on Saturday took the mickey out of
her critics by admitting with a straight face the possible lapses of the six-month-old BJP
government in rehabilitating the one lakh plus oustees at Harsud (Khandwa) who stand to lose
their homes due to the Narmada Valley Development Authority's decision to raise the height of
the upcoming Indira Sagar dam from 232 to 245 metres. In a frank chat with media persons, Ms
Bharti said the more important question was what steps did the Digvijay Singh regime take for 10
long years to pave the way for the smooth resettlement of oustees. "From the look of things,
precious little." That Harsud would come in the submergence zone was, after all, well known
since the project's inception in the 70s. The chief minister released a clutch of facts to drive home
the point that things weren't as bad as her opponents made it seem. A total of 120 villages
comprising 28,798 families stood to be affected by the dam. Ninety-five of these villages had
been voluntarily vacated and compensations handed out to 25,508 families. A majority of them
had been resettled in nearby Chanera. About 1,650 of them were residents of Harsud.
Ms Bharti said the fast progress in rehabilitating the sufferers had largely been made possible by
the special compensation package readied by her regime. "It is the best of all past packages,"
ranging from a minimum of Rs 25,000 to a maximum of Rs 5 lakhs. Its attractiveness was
confirmed by the fact that all the affected families had elected to move out rather than stay back.
The latter was an option with the construction of a stop-dam. In reply to queries, the chief minister
confessed the pace of resettlement at Chanera may have been slow between February and mid-
May 2004 due to the operation of the Election Commission's model code of conduct. Complaints
regarding disbursal of the special packages (the acceptance deadline for which expires on June
30) was being looked into by top NVDA officials. (Asian Age 27.6.04)
1 st July
Holding on to their homes despite facing submersion (4)
HARSUD (M.P.), JUNE 30. The residents of Harsud in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district are
being uprooted from their homes as the town is on the verge of submersion by waters from the
Indira Sagar dam during this monsoon. With only a few days left for the submersion, a large
number of the residents are still holding on to their ground and belongings. They were reluctant to
leave for alternative resettlement sites even today, the official deadline for vacating the town. The
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, told the media in Bhopal today that Harsud's
residents were "sacrificing their all" for the larger cause of farmers and the State. After the initial
monsoon showers, there has been a lull and the State has remained unusually dry over the last
few days. Had it been raining, the Bargi and Tawa dams, the two major upstream Narmada Valley
projects, would have released ample water. This would have expedited the submergence of
Harsud. The dry spell has come as a respite for the authorities engaged in rehabilitating Harsud's
residents. Fifteen years ago, hundreds of people's movements from all over the country
participated in the famous Harsud Rally . against the "destructive development" in this
centuries-old town. (The Hindu 1.7.04)

Treat dam oustees like human beings' (4)
BHOPAL, JUNE 30. Jan Sangharsh Morcha, which is a forum of several people's organisations,
has criticised the flag march being conducted by the police at Harsud in Khandwa district of
Madhya Pradesh that is coming under the submergence of the Indira Sagar dam. The Morcha
has also accused the State Government and Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation
(NHDC) of using inhuman tactics to uproot the residents of Harsud. The NHDC is a joint venture
company formed by the Madhya Pradesh Government and National Hydroelectric Power
Corporation (NHPC). On behalf of the Jan Sangharsh Morcha, Alok Agarwal of Narmada Bachao
Andolan and Anurag Modi of Shramik Adivasi Sangathan have issued a statement saying that the
attempt to remove thousands of families affected by the submergence of the Indira Sagar dam by
using "state terror" is inhuman, illegal and unconstitutional. They have also lashed out at the
State Government saying that people were being forced to sacrifice their all in the name of
national interest. They have demanded that the State Government should immediately withdraw
the police force from Harsud and the 129 dam-affected villages in that area. The Jan Sangharsh
Morcha has demanded that the State Government should provide land entitlements and take up
the task of rehabilitating the affected people on a war footing. The Government should also
explore the possibility of blasting the sluices, other portions of the dam and the blockage of the
diversion tunnel so that the submergence area could be reduced this year. (The Hindu 1.7.04)
2 nd July
Gujarat celebrate as Sardar Sarovar dam touches 110 metres (4)
AHMEDABAD, JULY 1. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat today celebrated the completion
of the construction of 110 metres of the 138-metre Sardar Sarovar Project on the
Narmada river that will make the dam functional from this year. The Chief Minister, Narendra
Modi, and the members of his Cabinet attended the celebrations, organised outside the BJP
State headquarters here to mark the day. In their enthusiasm, the partymen even ignored the ban
on bursting of crackers in public places. According to the Agriculture Minister, Bhupendrasinh
Chudasma, with the dam height reaching 110 metres, it would now be possible to release the
dam water through the main canal instead of the Irrigation By-Pass Tunnel (IBPT) used during
the last couple of years in a limited way to overcome the drought situation. The canal will now be
able to carry about half its total capacity of 40,000 cusecs of water. With the main canal becoming
functional, the Narmada waters will now reach Kutch district for irrigation purposes though in a
small quantity. Besides irrigation, it will now also be possible to start generating electricity from
the canal-head power stations. The first 250 MW power generating unit will start functioning as
soon as the water is released in the main canal while the second unit with 200 MW capacity will
be commissioned after about two months. This will be followed by the commissioning of one 200
MW unit every four months, to reach the total generating capacity of 1,450 MW, of which Madhya
Pradesh will have the biggest share of 56 per cent. (The Hindu 2.7.04)
12 th July
Dam displaces Narmada crocs (4)
DHADGAON, JULY 11: FOR tribals scattered over the Satpura ranges on Maharashtra's
northernmost tip, fishing in Narmada waters means trouble now, as the dam on the river has not
only displaced people but crocodiles too. "Now we go in groups for fishing, armed with sticks and
stones," says Udaysingh Pavra, a resident of Chikhli village whose brother Khetrya was recently
killed in a crocodile attack. "We first drive away the reptiles and then start fishing," he adds.
"You are in grave danger if you come face-to-face with a crocodile in water, as it can move with
great speed," says another tribal Bhikya Bilje Pavra. "But on land, the reptile is not quick enough
to chase you." The crocodiles used to lay eggs in rock cavities along the Narmada, but over the
past few months, the sludge in the river has increased manifold due to the rise in the dam height,
blocking these cavities, Bhikya says. The sludge has also brought down the number of aquatic
animals that the crocodiles preyed on, forcing them to attack livestock and human beings.
Pratibha Shinde, the leader of the Punarvasan Sangharsh Samiti — an organisation involved in
the rehabilitation of those displaced by the Narmada dam — blamed the crocodile attacks on the
rise in the height of the dam to 110 metres. This has increased the catchment area of the river,
bringing the crocodiles closer to tribal hamlets, she said. (Indian Express 12.7.04)

13 th July
Medha Patkar launches satyagraha (4)
MUMBAI, JULY 12. The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar today announced an indefinite
satyagraha near the State secretariat to highlight the Maharashtra Government's neglect
in resettling the families affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). A delegation of the NBA
met the State Home Minister, R.R. Patil, who assured them that the issue of resettling hundreds
of families would be completed in one-and-a-half months. However, Ms. Patkar and her
supporters were not satisfied with this assurance. She told reporters that 33 villages were
affected by the SSP in Maharashtra and two-thirds of the affected families who were awaiting
rehabilitation were not even declared as project-affected. Besides, the State Cabinet's decision in
January not to allow work on the dam unless rehabilitation was completed was not adhered to,
she said. The Maharashtra Government is not even certain how many people would be displaced
by the SSP and so where is the question of deciding how much land is required to rehabilitate
them, she asked. Even though people had been notified as project affected, their adult sons and
daughters were not entitled to compensation, she said. So far in the State, 1500 families had
been resettled, though about 400 families were yet to receive land, Ms. Patkar said. About 3000
families await rehabilitation and of this, only 568 families were recognised as project-affected.
The State did not take a tough stand on the question of rehabilitation and about 1500-2000
families would face submergence this monsoon, while the Gujarat Government celebrated raising
the project's height to 110 metres. Even though private land was available the State did not buy
it, she said. (The Hindu 13.7.04)
14 th July
Displaced by Metro, they await compensation (4)
New Delhi: For three years, their life has revolved round chasing government files, innumerable
visits to the DDA and Lieutenant-Governor's (L-G) offices and court dates. Thanks to the Delhi
government, residents of Nai Sarak, Hakim Baqqa and Ajmeri Gate, who were uprooted for the
Chawri Bazar Metro station, are still awaiting their rightful compensation. Reason: The Delhi
government is yet to decide on a compensation policy for these people. The properties of the
residents were acquired on April 16, 2001. The Delhi High Court had ruled on December 11,
2001, that the affected people should be provided rehabilitation immediately. Nothing, however,
has come their way On December 10, 2001, the Cabinet had passed the basic guidelines for the
rehabilitation of these residents. These guidelines were submitted before Delhi High Court. But
the guidelines are yet to be approved. (Times of India 14.7.04)
4 th Aug
Medha on fast as project-affected are yet to be resettled (4)
JAVDA, (NANDURBAR DISTRICT), MAHARASHTRA, AUG. 3.The Narmada Bachao Andolan
leader, Medha Patkar, is on an indefinite satyagraha since Monday at Shahada, in Nandurbar district,
to protest against the Government's inability to resettle project-affected people in time.
She has been joined by hundreds of farmers from the submergence zone of the Sardar Sarovar
Project (SSP) in Maharashtra. Just two weeks back they had been shown land at Javda village in
Akkalkuwa taluk for their resettlement. In mid-July, villagers from Bharad, Atthi, Keli, Thuvani, all
in Dhadgaon taluk, arrived in Javda in two dumper trucks. These are some of the 33 villages in
Maharashtra that are affected by submergence this year as the dam height has already reached
110.64 metres. District officials briefed them about the procedure to accept the land. Yet, a
fortnight later, people have realised that the Government is yet to buy the land at Javda to resettle
them. The Rehabilitation Secretary, K.S. Vatsa, said that orders to buy the land were issued
some time ago but the land was not bought as there are standing crops on it. However, the purchase
would start from today, he added. (The Hindu 4.8.04)
7 th Aug
Narmada crosses danger mark (4)
GANDHINAGAR, AUG. 6. A high alert has been sounded in all the villages downstream of the
Sardar Sarovar Dam as the Narmada river crossed the full-reservoir level and started flowing

over the dam wall today. Most of the rivers and rivulets in Amreli and Junagadh districts in the
Saurashtra region are in spate following heavy rainfall since yesterday. According to the Chief
Secretary, P.K. Lehri, the water level at the Sardar Sarovar Dam, which stood at 110.64 metres
as per the Narmada Control Authority's clearance, has reached 112.71 metres and about 20,000
cusecs of water was flowing into the river in the downstream of the dam. He said if the rains
continued in the catchment areas, the authorities would be forced to open all the dam gates
So far, 1.08 lakh people in the flood-affected areas have been shifted to safer places. In Surat,
however, people are back and have launched cleaning operations as water has drained off most
of the areas. While south and central Guj-arat enjoyed some respite today, the monsoon seemed
to favour the rain-starved Kutch, Saurashtra and north Gujarat regions. Adivasis affected by
submergence due to the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), who are on a sa-tyagraha in Shahada in
Nandur-bar district, stormed the office of the block development officer to protest the "lethargic
pace" of resettlement, even as the threat of flooding looms large in the Narmada valley. (The
Hindu 7.8.04)
10 TH September
Narmada: Dasmunishi to visit sites (4)
New Delhi, September 9: Even as the Maharashtra Government today objected to increasing the
height of the Narmada dam to 121 metres, the Union Minister for Water Resources, Priya Ranjan
Dasmunshi, declared that he would visit the rehabilitation and resettlement sites of the families
displaced by the project in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. After chairing the 12th
meeting of the political-level Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority, Mr. Dasmunshi
told The Hindu that he had received a lot of complaints from social activists and NGOs on
rehabilitation that were contrary to the claims of "satisfactory rehabilitation" made by the States
concerned. "I am therefore visiting the [site of the] project and the rehabilitation sites before
Dussehra to personally understand the ground realities," he said. Nearly 40,000 families would be
uprooted by the multi-purpose Narmada dam (Sardar Sarovar Project), which is under construction
in Gujarat. The Minister said he would also convene an internal meeting of senior
officials of the Ministry and the Narmada Control Authority next week to assess the State-wise
break-up of rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced families at every level of the Sardar
Sarovar dam. (The Hindu 10.9.04)
Gujarat faces ire over Narmada dam project (4)
New Delhi: Political party camaraderie ends where state interests begin. On Thursday, the UPA
government's first political-level meeting on the Sardar Sarovar project saw Gujarat the focus of
ire even from party colleagues in other states as each dug in heels on who would pay for what.
Gujarat bought time through the hour-long meeting which saw Union water resources minister P
R Dasmunsi announcing that he would visit the project site before the year ends to personally
check on complaints about relief and rehabilitation work. Activists are furious that there is even
talk of raising the dam height further when there are so many problems with rehabilitation and the
Supreme Court mandated process is being breached. Thursday's meeting of the Review
Committee for the Narmada Control Authority, chaired by Dasmunsi, was attended by two CMs,
Gujarat's Narendra Modi and MP's Babu Lal Gaur, Maharashtra's industries and rehabilitation
minister, Rajasthan's irrigation minister and MP's minister for Narmada and water resources.
Increasing the dam height further, to 121.92 metres, wasn't on the agenda but it came up anyway
as secretary V K Duggal briefed the politicians on the position so far. It remains an issue, with
Maharashtra protesting even Dasmunsi's hope of working towards the increase. (Times of India
10.9.04)
26 th September
188 dams on brink of collapse (4)
NEW DELHI, Sept 25. - Of the country's 4,050 dams, nearly 350 are between 50 and 100 years
old and 188 have recently been identified as "distressed" and in need for urgent repair. Earlier,
the World Bank had helped to repair 49 dams but there are no central schemes to assist the
states in the repair of the dams. The dams are in different parts of the country- the only damaged
dams in West Bengal, according to a senior government official, are the Kang§a-bati-Kumari and

the Massanjore projects. A large number are in the eastern states. The 188 dams have different
kinds of weaknesses, including leakages, leading to seepage and in "need of concrete grouting or
more serious problems. In others, the face of the spillway show damages with the concrete
shearing off. In others a flaw in the design has been detected, especially after the dam was given
'additional capacity.' According to a government assessment many damaged or distressed dams
are in Orissa and Bihar. Among the eight troubled projects in Bihar are Gandak and Kosi.
Jharkhand, till recently a part of Bihar, has five. Orissa has 38 (the highest) such dams including
Kumbho Kalo, Damsal, Talkhol, Banksal, Renga-li, Talsara and Aradei. Rihand, in eastern Uttar
Pradesh is also in the 'distressed' category. (Statesman 26.9.04
19 th Nov.
Probe into mishandling of funds for dam oustees (4)
BHOPAL, NOV. 18. The Madhya Pradesh Government has asked the Economic Offences Wing
(EOW) to investigate "irregular payments" totalling Rs. 7.15 crores in rehabilitation and
resettlement works linked with the Sardar Sarovar Project. The audit for the period between
March 2003 and July 2004 conducted by the Accountant-General reveals that the Badwani office
of the Executive Engineer of Narmada Development Division-22 made "irregular payments
running" into crores without drawing and disbursing powers. The tactics adopted by the subdivisional
office allegedly were to make payments in parts upto a limit of Rs. 5000 by fudging
records to show that payments had been made for many separate works entrusted to a few
selected contractors without following the mandatory procedure of inviting tenders.
When contacted, an EOW source said the State Government had decided to conduct a thorough
investigation since a huge amount had allegedly been siphoned off from the relief and
rehabilitation works of the Sardar Sarovar Project. (The Hindu 19.11.04)
23 rd Nov.
PM writes to Dasmunshi on Narmada relief (4)
PRIME MINISTER Manmohan Singh has asked Water Resources Minister PR Dasmunshi to
personally ascertain the facts relating to relief and rehabilitation in Sardar Sarovar Project. He
said the dam's height can be allowed to increase after the rehabilitation work is over. The PM has
written to the minister, detailing various aspects of how the project should go ahead. He has
written the letter apparently at the accusations of Narmada Bachao Andolan of Medha Patkar.
"As you are aware the NBA has been agitating that the terms of rehabilitation as stipulated in the
directive of the Supreme Court are not being followed in the SSP." He said that the Social Justice
and Empowerment ministry has been asked to put out the details of relief and rehabilitation
should be made public in a website to assuage apprehensions on the issue. "The state governments
are expected to shortly submit details on rehabilitation to be completed with the completion
of the dam prior to permission being accorded for raising the height of the dam," he said. (Pioneer
23.11.04)
24 th Nov.
Evicted sex workers seek relief (8)
New Delhi, November 23: MEMBERS OF the city's sex workers' community have sought a
rehabilitation package from the government following eviction orders by a city court.
Some 20 sex workers from G.B. Road met Jitender Narayan, director, social welfare department
in this regard on Tuesday. In the meeting that lasted for half-an-hour, workers led by city-based
NGO Shakti Vahini, expressed their anxiety over the court order and urged the department to provide
a viable solution to the problem. Shakti Vahini takes care of nearly 500 sex workers operating
at G.B. Road and in the over 20 kothas under the Delhi State Aids Control Society's
Target Intervention Programme. It says that the sex workers had no option but to approach the
social welfare department. "At least, 16 brothels have been sealed, rendering almost 300 sex
workers homeless. A majority of them have children. Over the last few days, they have all been
left on the roads to fend for themselves," said Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini. (Hindustan Times
24.11.04)
30 th Nov

Medha calls for people-centric politics (4)
NEW DELHI, NOV. 29. The former Prime Minister, V. P. Singh, will inaugurate a national convention
on "Development, displacement, rehabilitation and inter-linking of rivers organised by the
National Alliance of People's Movement here tomorrow. Twenty-five people's organisations, and
displaced tribal and rural populations will participate in the convention. At a press conference
here today, the convener of the Alliance and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar,
said the fight against displacement and lopsided development paradigms was also a fight against
imperialism and neo-liberalism. "This is not possible without the emergence of an alternative
people-centric politics. This convention is being held to build a stronger alternative movement and
to promote democratic national-level discussions on development-induced displacement and the
proposed inter-linking of rivers, a coalition of people's movements and civil society groups."
Questioning the development paradigm that focused on centralised resource management and
mass production through unrestrained exploitation of natural resources and labour, Ms. Patkar
said this had resulted in irrevocable damage to the environment and displaced millions of people
from their natural habitat. (The Hindu 30.11.04)
1 ST Dec.
Water Resources officials to visit Narmada Valley (4)
NEW DELHI, DEC. 2. Officials of the Union Ministry for Water Resources will be visiting the
Narmada Valley next week to assess the rehabilitation and resettlement of people affected by the
controversial Sardar Sarvar Project in Gujarat. The project displaces people in the basin States of
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Rajasthan is the fourth beneficiary State in the
project. Later, the Water Resources Minister, Priyaranjan Das Munshi, will visit various projects
including the Narmada dam project between December and January and hold talks with various
Chief Ministers to evolve a consensus on the proposed rivers interlinking programme. This has
been done at the behest of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, who last week had asked the
Water Resources Minister, Pri-yaranjan Das Munshi, to visit the valley to assess the situation.
While the Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment has shown "zero families" that are
to be rehabilitated at the current height of the dam, the Narmada Bachao Andolan has said that
more than 10,000 families are yet to be rehabilitated as per the norms. Participating in the National
Convention on Development, Displacement and Rehabilitation organised by the National
Alliance of People's Movement, Mr Das Munshi said he would take into account views of activist
organisations before reviewing the National Rehabilitation Policy. The Minister also proposed to
review the National water Policy. (The Hindu 3.12.04)
9 th Dec
litate evicted workers'' (4)
NEW DELHI, DEC. 8. The Delhi High Court today directed the Social Welfare Department of the
Delhi Government to rehabilitate all 101 sex workers who had been evicted from their rooms here
following conviction of some of their roommates over the years in several Immoral Trafficking
Prevention Act cases. A Division Bench comprising Justice B.C. Patel and Justice B.D. Ahmed
issued the direction on a public interest litigation filed by Shakti Vahini, a non-governmental
organisation. The petitioner said that the city police had evicted several sex workers from their
rooms on Swami Shrad-hanand Marg, Capital's red light area, following conviction of their mates
over the years. The Bench had last year asked the Delhi Government and the Delhi Commission
for Women (DCW) to file their respective replies to the query raised in the petition. The petitioner
through his counsel, Jayant Bhushan, said that these evicts had been made to suffer for no fault
of theirs as they were evicted just because they were sharing the rooms of the convicted sex
workers. Their eviction was a violation of the Fundamental Right to live with dignity, Mr. Bhushan
said. (The Hindu 9.12.04)
10 th Dec.
NBA flays Govt. for stalling public hearing (4)
BHOPAL, DEC. 9.The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has severely criticised the Madhya
Pradesh Government and the Khargone district administration for stalling the public hearing of
women displaced by four large dams in the Narmada valley before the National Commission for

Women (NCW) by declaring prohibitory orders under Section 144 in the district town of Khargone
and areas near Upper Beda dam on December 5. As a result of the ban order, the Chairperson of
NCW, Poornima Advani, returned to Delhi without attending the hearing, the NBA has said in a
statement. Still around 1500 women and 500 men broke the ban orders and held a day- long
public hearing in front of the District Collector's office at Khargone. They raised their voice to
focus attention on the adverse impact of displacement, the NBA said while asking the State
Government why they had been restrained from holding a public hearing when the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad and the Gayatri Parivar were allowed take out their processions on the same day.
The NBA has claimed that women affected by four dams in the Narmada valley—the tribal
women from Upper Beda in Khargone district, Dalit women from Harsud displaced by the Indira
Sagar Project, women from the "now stalled" Mahesh-war Project and tribal women from the
submergence area of Man dam- had gathered at Khargone for the public hearing. The women
from the Upper Beda dam area had invited the NCW for a public hearing. (The Hindu 10.12.04)
15 th Dec
Narmada team cuts short tour (4)
NEW DELHI, DEC. 14. The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader, Medha Patkar, was
detained at Hapeshwar village in Gujarat on Sunday while she was on her way to Vadbdara to
catch a train to Mumbai. A team sent by the Ministry of Water Resources to find out the
rehabilitation status of the people displaced by the Narmada dam had cut short its three-day visit
and returned to New Delhi the previous day. The team held public hearings, facilitated by the
NBA, on Friday in three villages of Badwani and Dhar districts but was called back by the Minister
for Water Resources, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, the next day even as several hundred villagers
waited to tell their story. The team returned without touring the three basin States of Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Mr. Dasmunshi told The Hindu that he had called the team
back as the Parliament session was on and he wanted some quick firsthand information from
them. He said he would himself visit the rehabilitation and submergence sites after the winter
session of Parliament. (The Hindu 15.12.04)
18 th Dec
Tehri oustees protest bid to oust again (4)
DEHRA DUN, DEC. 17. Police arrested about 40 Tehri dam oustees as they tried to stop officials
of the Airports Authority of India from conducting a survey on the land in Jolly Grant area where
they were rehabilitated nearly two decades ago. The Government wants to expand the airstrip to
facilitate arrival of airbuses there to promote tourism. Although the land was acquired long ago,
not many of the re-ousted victims of the Tehri project have been given compensation so far.
"We have worked very hard to make this wasteland good enough for cultivation and had started
forgetting the shock of being forced out of Tehri when the officials are back again ordering us to
vacate this land also. We are ready to make another sacrifice for the State but the Government
must first allot us alternative land with a promise that we will not be uprooted again," said Saroj
Negi and others kept in the Dehra Dun police lines. All earlier attempts to operate a regular air
service between Dehra Dun and Delhi have failed with operators refusing to run the aircrafts
without passengers. The latest flop in the aviation history of Uttaranchal was the much publicized
air service to Badrinath and Kedarnath. Hardly a few dozen passengers besides the bureaucrats
availed the facility before it was withdrawn. (Hindu 18.12.04)