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Development: Who Said People Matter?

By Sarika Sinha

30 June, 2010
Countercurrents.org

‘The stray wind brings the smell
Of days I have known
And the half forgotten smiles and tears
Give the heart a sudden turn…’

As one negotiates through the thick bountiful foliage across the serene reservoir, one can sense the seething anger and discontent. In complete contradiction to the pleasantly rich and green milieu, the hearts of the people here are dry and barren. We have entered the reservoir area of the Bargi dam, the first dam (or rather temple of modern India as described by Nehru!) amongst a chain of 30 major dams constructed on river Narmada .

Our travel takes us to Bagdari, a displaced village in Ghansour Block where we are welcomed by quite a few people. One of the activists of the Bargi Visthapit Evam Prabhavit Sangathan (BVPS) introduces us to the ‘Sarpanch pati’ and updates us on the exemplary work undertaken by the members of the sangathan towards the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The residents are primarily tribals and have applied for 122 pattas (1 for community rights) of which they have already received 52! Rajkumar bhai, who leads the campaign, informs as a matter of fact that they have been able to use the special clause for the displaced under the FRA. Self affidavits are very accepted by the state! While I brood about the influence that the sangathan has over powerful stakeholders like the state, a group of extremely vibrant women of all ages come and join us.

The women proudly update us about the genesis of BVPS. In 1986-88, Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar and B.D..Sharma visited the area and saw the plight of the oustees. There was widespread dissatisfaction among the displaced peoples owing to Government’s insensitivity, lack of political will to address their problems, and unclear policies pertaining to rehabilitation. Around the same time, peoples’ resistance to the Sardar Sarovar dam was gathering momentum. Slowly, an organisation of the oustees began to take shape. In 1991, the peoples’ organisation Bargi Bandh Visthapit Evam Prabhavit Sangh came into being demanding just governance. Twenty years down the line, the movement doesn’t seem to be tiring! In fact, they have modified their demands according to the changing times!

Further discussions lead us to ghastly facts about the blatant usurpation of people’s rights with impunity! For 162 villages that were supposed to be displaced, only 3-5 ‘model’ villages were constructed to accommodate the residents. In all, 26,797 ha of extremely fecund land got submerged out of which 55% was under private ownership (mostly tribals) . People who had land holding were ‘counted’. The rest were not considered humans!

Let’s also look at some of these ‘model’ villages. Gorakhpur, which housed a plenteous population, saw starvation deaths of families who owned land but later were coerced to eke out a living. People were also forced to cremate their near and dear ones due to paucity of wood .

The second village, Jamunia was situated amidst rocky terrain with forest on its sides. The residents, who had no other source of livelihood apart from the forest for themselves as well as their cattle, were barred mercilessly from venturing into the woods by the Forest Department through a trench! Singodha, the third model village, was in the middle of nowhere! The question of placing people with broken hearts and empty pockets never arose! Till date, the structures wear a desolate look!

When the situation of Model Villages is so pathetic, one can only imagine the situation of other villages awaiting rehabilitation. In most villages, the emphasis of rehabilitation work was around construction of buildings which were absolutely futile to the oustees. Can a concrete structure alone guarantee bountiful blooming life?

So where are the people? Well, for those who have not noticed, many are still on the rocky islands amidst the water. They have moved up, sold off their cattle and live in abject penury cultivating the land when water recedes. There are no basic amenities in terms of infrastructure or services. In times of medical emergency, people have to ferry across the reservoir to reach Barginagar! The rainy season is the worst with people being forced to move further up, high incidences of diseases and no mobility. So, one easy way of devoiding people of their riparian rights is to build a human-made lake around a river and dispose them off to uninhabitable areas…

This is not the end of the harrowing tale! Ranital, a slum in Jabalpur, is home to many oustees! Without any social fabric, basic amenities and a riverside which in many ways symbolized hope, people pick up the shards of their lives working as daily wage labours and rickshaw pullers…People who were very acclimatized to using the abundant and pure waters of Narmada for nistar (animals) have no option but to use the scanty and filthy sewage water for themselves!

So what happened to the compensation? Where did it disappear? How much did they get? Well, people without any land were not entitled to any compensation! The land owners, on the other hand, received a meager amount of Rs 500-3000 per acre depending upon the whims and caprice of the officials! Most of liquid money created a sellers’ market and land prices zoomed up! With no experiences of savings and dubious transactions by many officials, this money was spent swiftly leaving the oustees with no tangible support!

In Garahaat, the villagers tell us about the high incidences of migration. While a flimsy livelihood base made them vulnerable; with the displacement, people have been robbed off their basic existence. Lac culture, which was very common, has become completely extinct! In this area, there is over 80% migration with people moving out to Bhopal and Nagpur as daily wage labour twice a year.

In the same village, we also met the fisherfolk (into a forced livelihood). One of the rehabilitation plans also involved setting up fishery co-operative because Narmada Bachao Andolan(NBA) was requested to help plan the Socio-economic rehabilitation of the oustees. This led to GOMP giving rights of fishing and sale in the Bargi reservoir to the oustees on co-operative basis, which led to the formation of the Bargi Bandh Visthapit Matsya Utpadan Avam Vipanan Sahakari Sangh Maryadit in Sep.1994; a federation of 54 primary co-operative fishing societies, with oustee fishermen (certainly not women!) as members.

As on date, the fisherfolk have to sell off their catch @ Rs 16/kg; a rate which is much below the market price. The yield has plummeted drastically with no new seedlings being added by the state. The collaborative effort has resulted, if not for anything else, into one which is fraught with red-tapism, pending policy decisions and non availability of funds. At the time of writing this, there were major policy level changes being suggested in the fishery co-operative policy with PPP being introduced which itself is insidious in usurpation of the rights of people.

A day later, we visit another feather in the crown of the MP state government! The newspapers are fraught with the setting up of a nuclear power plant in Chutka. A closer look prompts us to question the very basics of our development paradigm.

Two decades after displacement from the Bargi dam, the villagers of Chutka, Kunda and Tatighat are about to be uprooted again. This time, again, for a greater common good? Yes, a nuclear power plant which is proclaimed to be the most esteemed thing happening to Madhya Pradesh. Deepchand, one of the activists of the Chutka Parmanoo Sangharsh Samiti laments ‘It took two generations for us to recover after being ousted by the Bargi dam. Now its going to take three more. Our lives are completely ruined!’

One feels the nip in the air mixed with panic and resignation! In 1990, when they got displaced, the residents of this village received a compensation as meager as Rs 900/acre of irrigated fertile land.

Just one day back, a couple of scientists visited this area and the entire operation was classified! The site selection and mapping are being done and the state claims good reason to keep it confidential since this matter, willy nilly, involves arms! Construction work for a residential colony has already begun about 6 km away from here.

I find myself looking into the desolate eyes of people…These looks pierce right through me. Have you done anything about it? Basori Singh Meshram, one of the leaders, informs ‘We have written to the MP and later a letter to Rahul Gandhi as well, demanding justice’. This is PESA area, I argue. Have you taken a resolution in the gram panchayat? A negative reply gets us immediately to draft a resolution. I see hope. Espite the fact that in Plachimada; with vehement opposition from the gram sabha, the Pepsi factory did get set up!

Our meeting ends on a brighter note with Rajesh bhai, another leader of BVPS reading out the resolution amongst thunderous claps! As we leave, there are slogans which clearly send the message that the residents will not budge from this area. While sitting the vehicle, Rajesh asks some of the leaders to do a participatory survey ascertaining the land and property as well as work out a compensation package…Is it the wary wisdom and knowledge that no matter what, the people will get displaced? Anyone listening?

Sarika Sinha, ActionAid International India