*Narmada Bachao Andolan***
2, Sai Nagar, Mata Chowk, Khandwa, M.P.
Jail Road, Mandleshwar, Khargone, M.P.
Tel : 0733-2228418/2911018,9425928007
__________________________________________________________
Press Note : 28.02.2009
*Oustees demand stoppage of Maheshwar dam in front of Environment Monitoring
Committee*
The oustees of Maheshwar Dam demanded immediate stoppage of Maheshwar dam in
village after village during the visit of the Monitoring Committee
constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest. The oustees told the
Committee that the project authorities have completely failed to
rehabilitate the oustees but the construction work is going on full pace.
Therefore, as per the conditions of the clearance the dam work should be
stopped.
*The Monitoring Committee:*
It may be stated that on 1st May 2001, the Ministry of Environment and
Forest transferred the statutory clearance regarding Maheshwar Project to
the Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited (SMHPCL), the company
building the dam. As per this clearance a Monitoring Committee was
constituted to ensure that the rehabilitation work should be carried out at
the same pace of concreting. The Committee headed by Mrs. Nirmala Buch
visited the area on 23rd and 24th of February,2009.
*23rd February 2009:*
The committee visited the Bakawa rehabilitation site and found that the R&R
site does not have most of the amenities. The oustees of Villages Mardana,
Nagawa and Bhatyan villages have gathered there in large numbers. They told
the Committee that though the R&R Policy is one of allotment of agricultural
land for land, none of the oustees has been given any agricultural land so
far. Even resettlement site for the majority of the oustees is yet to be
prepared. The project authorities have completely failed in preparing any
comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan. As per the environmental clearance, the
R&R Plan should be ready by December 2001. The oustees demanded that the
construction of the dam should be stopped immediately and a comprehensive
land based rehabilitation plan should be prepared and implemented.
*24th February, 2009:*
On 24th of February a large delegation of villagers along with senior
Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Shri Alok Agarwal met the Committee. The
delegation told the committee that the agricultural lands of the oustees are
being illegally purchased by the SMHPCL. No one is being allotted
agricultural land. As far as resettlement is concerned, the project
authorities have themselves admitted that only 3% oustees have been allotted
plots and rest 97% remain to be resettled. The Andolan demanded that since
the conditions of the clearance have been violated, the dam work should be
stopped and the authorities should be directed to prepare a comprehensive
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Plan.
When the committee visited the village Lepa, they were told that there is no
site for half of the village and for the rest, the R&R site is incomplete.
The oustees asked that first they should be given land for land and only
after that any resettlement site can be built near these lands, as per the
conditions of the environmental clearance. In villages Amlatha and Teliyaon
oustees asked for stoppage of dam construction. The project authorities were
completely embarrassed in village Teliyaon when the Monitoring Committee
found the claim of the authorities that all the villagers of this village
had moved out was completely baseless.
Hundreds of oustees of villages Pathrad, Sulgaon, Gogawa, Behgaon, Pitamali,
Sitoka, Malgaon, Naharkhedi, Jalud, Khedi etc. also met the Monitoring
Committee and demanded the immediate stoppage of construction on the dam. It
may be noted that on the 18th February 2009, the M.P. High Court has already
given a stay on any further dam construction which would block the river,
and on the purchase of the agricultural lands of the oustees by the Company
until the next date of hearing.
*Bhagwan Mukati, Ramkuwar, Sanjay Nigam, Kadvijiji, Chittaroopa Palit *
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