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- To: cwaterp@del3.vsnl.net.in
- From: Anand Patwardhan <anandpat@vsnl.com>
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 19:48:28 +0500
>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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