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DAM-L LS: Hundreds Storm Water Resource and Power Ministries Offices (fwd)



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subject: LS: Hundreds Storm Water Resource and Power Ministries Offices
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Press Note: 17 November, 2000

Several Hundred People Storm  Water Resource and Power Ministries : NBA 
Challenges Narmada Control Authority and Power Ministry on Sardar Sarovar 
and Maheshwar Projects: NBA files Review Petition.

Skirting the strong security several hundred people affected by the 
controversial Sardar Sarovar and Maheshwar Projects on the Narmada, who are 
in a dharna in Delhi, reached into the 4th floor of the office of Water 
Resource Ministry where a meeting of Narmada Control Authority (NCA) is 
supposed to be going on.  After a long struggle  with the police the 
project affected people from the Narmada Valley led by Chittaroopa Palit 
and Arundhati Dhuru, chanting slogans like NCA Hoshme Aao, managed to reach 
to Mr.Hassan, Secretary of Water Resource ministry and Chairperson of 
NCA.  Mr.Hassan, told  the people that the meeting of the NCA is going on 
at Bikaji Kama Place  and not here. People insisted that he should take 
them to the meeting place.  After a lot of argument Mr.Suresh Roy, Joint 
Commissioner of Police finally took a seven member delegation including 
Arundhati Dhuru and Chittaroopa Palit to meet Mr.Arjun Sethi, Cabinet 
Minister for Water Resources.  The Minister assured the delegation that he 
would hold a meeting tomorrow at 11.00 a.m. with the NBA delegation and NCA 
members, including the Secretary.  Mr.Arjun Sethi also guaranteed the 
delegation that no decision about increase in height will be taken till all 
necessary arrangements have been done.

Narmada Bachao Andolan representatives demanded that the  Authority (NCA) 
should file a Special Affidavit in the Supreme Court stating the real 
status of rehabilitation of the  people affected at 90 mts height. The 
reality is that large number of these families are not yet resettled and so 
construction should not be carried on. Responding positively the Minister 
assured that he will ask responsible officers from Ministry of Environment 
and Forest and Ministry of Water Resources to be present in the meeting 
tomorrow.

In the meanwhile, the Maheshwar Project Affected People lead by Alok 
Agrawal, met Secretary-Power, Mr.Basu.  and appraised about the high cost 
of the electricity, Rs.9.50/- per unit from Maheshwar Project, if produced 
at all. The Secretary while accepting this said that they themselves are 
concerned about the high cost of the power from Maheshwar Project. Mr.Basu 
also assured NBA delegation that it will go through all the technical 
issues of the project and requested NBA to provide him with the available 
documents. He also assured the delegation to call a meeting with NBA later 
some time.

The delegation expressed concern to the Secretary about the news carried in 
a daily yesterday, stating that  Crisis Management Group of the Power 
Ministry met yesterday and decided to achieve   Financial Closure for all 
the projects in India before December 30th. Any  such move towards 
Maheshwar Project will be opposed tooth and nail, they warned, as the 
project was t have serious social and environmental impacts on top of very 
high cost of power.

It may be noted that, hundreds of people affected by the Maheshwar 
Hydro-Electric Project held an angry demonstration at the Central Office of 
the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) at Nehru Place in Delhi 
yesterday. Carrying banners proclaiming 'No IFCI endorsement for Maheshwar 
dam', the demonstrators drew attention to the economic and social 
destruction that would accompany any attempt to go through with the 
Maheshwar Dam. The demonstrators sang songs and gave angry slogans such as 
'IFCI, hosh me aao, Narmada Ghati ko mat dubao.'

It may also be noted that, entering the 7th day of the Dharna at Delhi, the 
police had stopped the people from going to the Narmada Control Authority 
(NCA) office yesterday. They were on their way to the NCA premises to hold 
a peaceful dharna and fast, to remind them that their callousness in 
reporting the ground reality in respect to the rehabilitation of the people 
affected even by the existing dam have created havoc and facilitated the 
Supreme Court to allow further construction and any further recommendation 
for further work will script death to the valley. The people, on stopping 
from going further, have carried out their actions where they were stopped. 
The dharna, with songs and slogans have demonstrated their determination to 
fight, even when all arms of the system are seem to be against them.

A Review Petition was filed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan in the Supreme 
Court today in the case of NBA Vs.Union of India and others asking for a 
review of the majority judgement of the Supreme Court dated 18th October, 
2000. Meanwhile, the hearing of the application by NBA for clarification 
scheduled to be heard today has been postponed.


M.K. Sukumar

For, Narmada Bachao Andolan

Contact : c/o-011- 642 6783, 623 7724




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whatever Your Law Says......
Narmada Valley is Ours....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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