By TwoCircles.net News Desk,
New Delhi: Thousands of oustees of Narmada Valley Dam Projects yesterday held a march for their rights in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh under the banner of Narmada Bachao Andolan demanding “Give us land or give back our villages.”
Over ten thousand men and women affected by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams held the mammoth rally. These oustees under the aegis of the Narmada Bachao Andolan gave the government an ultimatum that the Government must ensure that every oustee family receives land, and other means of livelihood and their entitlements or face the wrath of the people. Representatives of the oustees of the Maheshwar, Upper Beda, Maan, Sardar Sarovar, Tawa, and Bargi dams, as well as different peoples’ movements across the country attended the agitation offering their support and solidarity.
As the rally marched from Gandhi Bhavan to the Collector’s office, the streets of Khandwa town resounded with slogans such as “Resettle us and give us land, or you must empty the dam!” “No dam without rehabilitation!” and “We will fight, we will win!”
The displaced people enthusiastically made their voices heard, carrying blue flags of the Andolan high. Marching through Khandwa’s prominent streets, the rally gathered at the Collectorate at which point it became a meeting for all people present.
Speakers from the Narmada Bachao Andolan said that there is no Rule of Law for poor and working people, and for peasants and others displaced by the dams. Despite two High Court orders saying that adult sons and unmarried adult daughters of people affected by the Indira Sagar Project must be given land, the government is not implementing these orders. “We have to prepare for a long, strong and collective fight, without which the rights of displaced people will not be honored. We have to prepare ourselves to face their lathis and bullets. Today 8000 adult sons and daughters are submitting their claims, another 8-10,000 adult sons and daughters will submit their claims. The Government will have to provide them land by 2nd December 2002, by the Order of the Court,” they said.
They also alleged that officers and middlemen are demanding thousands of rupees to give oustees their entitlements. The oustees also expressed shock that the NHDC has erased the water level marks in the Indira Sagar dam last month so that the public can no longer know what the water-level in the dam is. They said that this is part of a conspiracy to flood the area, and increase the water level above 260 meters which has been fixed by the High Court at the present.
Present at the meeting were representatives from various organizations including Advocate Anil Trivedi from Indore, Shri. Vimal Bhai of the Matu Movement from Uttarakhand, Madhuresh from the National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements, Ms. Niti Diwan from Tarashi Sanstha Bhopal, Yogesh Diwan from Hoshangabad, Chinmaya Mishra from the Sarvodaya Press Service in Indore, Hakim Bhai from the Bargi Dam Oustees Committee, Ramkunwar from Maan project, Kadvi Bai from Maheshwar dam area, Bana Bai from Upper Beda project, Rajendra Prasad from Indira Sagar Project, Narayan Bhai from Omkareshwar Project, and Kamla Bai from Sardar Sarovar.