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dam-l [Fwd: Narmada Tribals question the Maharashtra officials about land.




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>Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 19:44:44 +0500
>To: delforum,bagchi,nba,nandini,sujit
>From: Anand Patwardhan <anandpat@vsnl.com>
>
>>Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 14:06:44 +0500
>>To: pervin,sanjay@ilbom.ernet.in,cwaterp@del.vsnl.net.in
>>From: Anand Patwardhan <anandpat@vsnl.com>
>>
>>Hundreds of Narmada Tribals Confront Nandurbar Officials
>>R & R Claims proved Fraudulant
>>False Affidavites by Govt. in Supreme Court
>>People to inspect the land claims on Tuesday
>>
>>Hundreds of tribal men & women from the Narmada Valley, to be affected by
the Sardar Sarovar Project confronted the authorities at Nandurbar district
headquarters today. With a slogan, ' Jamin Nahin To Bandh Nahin' ( No land,
No Dam) These villages coming from atleast 25 interior villages in Satpuras
had an unique purpose, to verify the official claims made in the government
affidavits during the Narmada case in the Supreme Court. In view of the
interim order of the Supreme Court given on 18th March, permitting 5 meters
raise in the dam height ( from 80.3 to 85 meters), the people organised
under the NBA banner claimed, was a result of various claims and assurances
made by the governments including the government of Maharashtra. The order
that will affect hundreds of tribal families- their houses and fields- was
granted with GOM's claims that it had land and all arrangements made for
the families to be affected even at 110 meters. "Not one family was shifted
without allotment", it further stated.In the notices issued to 527 families
regarding their property to be affected this year itself, GOM listed four
sites of Maharashtra and ten at Gujrat.
>>
>>	What will happen at the time of submergence during  the monsoon this
year. The officials have based their estimates on 1983-84 surveys. The list
obviously leftout 300-400 families. During the discussion it was also clear
that GOM has no information about the height of the humps over and above 85
meters which would increase submergence.
>>
>>	It was clear from heated and serious discussion today with the
Additional Commissioner,(SSP), District Rehabilitation Officer and other
officers of Narmada Development department that the claim was baseless. In
Maharashtra, there was land only at one site, Amli- and the land shown as
available at other sites would actually be encroached and not so easy to be
cleared. At Amli there was a claim by about 200 and more families, shifted
a few years ago and deducting their entitlements, no further land remains
for the new comers. The authorities then stressed that all will be
resettled even by purchasing the land from private land holders. The same
will be done to resettle families bellow 110 meters as well. Additional
Commissioner and Deputy Collector claimed that land would be purchased
within next two months! People almost laughed narrating the experiences
from Gujrat where much of land purchased is uncultivable, people being
cheated by the landlords and the government alike!
>>
>>	The last claim by the Additional Commissioner was based on the proposal
to release forest land, recently made to the Ministry of Forest of the
State who seem to be totally reluctant. About 316 hectares of new
forestland is being proposed by the State which in any case would not be
adequate. It will not even be ready with transfer to revenue, clear-felled
etc. till submergence.
>>
>>	When it became clear that except Amli, there was no other land or site
to be taken to, no land to be shown to PAPs the group decided to visit that
place, Amli, where they would hear the government officials as also the
shifted families. It was clear from the discussions that the government has
no resettlement sites with adequate and appropriate land and with no
amenities ready. This refutes the claim by GOM in the affidavits.
>>
>>	Dharna continues today while the tribals with observers Mr. Prakash
Burte, Ex-Employee of BARC, Mumbai, Advocate Nirmal Kumar Suryavanshi of
Dhule, Pratibha Shinde of Punarvasan Sangharsh Samiti, and other activists
of Jan Seva Mandal, Nandurbar, with Medha Patkar and others of NBA, are
determined to establish the truth further through the field-visit tomorrow.
>>
>>
>>MEDHA PATKAR
>>

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