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Water Reaches Up To Chin Level Of Omkareshwar And Indira Sagar DamOustees

By Narmada Bachao Andolan

01 September, 2012
Countercurrents.org

Oustees Of Omkareshwar And Indira Sagar Dam fighting for their rights and life need your support Oustees standing in dam water for last 7 days

Dear all,

Please see the message below from our friends at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Villagers who would be displaced by the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams have been taking part in a jal satyagraha for the last week, protesting the government's decision to raise the water level in the dams. This raising of the water level would result in the submergence of the homes and lands of thousands- who have yet to be rehabilitated, despite Supreme Court orders that require rehabilitation to be completed 6 months before submergence.

The Narmada Bachao Andolan is one of the longest running campaigns that AID has stood in solidarity with, and in this particular instance it appears that a timely response can swing the balance in favour of the oustees : the latest news is that the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC) has directed the government to ensure the safety of the protesters and it is crucial to sustain the pressure to make sure that the rights of the people and the law of the land are respected.

Please do take a few minutes to do one or more of the following:

  1. Call one or more of the officials mentioned in the message below. If you get through, do let us know how the call went at [email protected] .
  2. We plan to send the letter below to concerned officials with as many signatures as we can gather. If you would like to sign on, please email Rohit from AID Buffalo ( [email protected] ) with your full name and affiliation (if any).
  3. Sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/petitions/chief-minister-madhya-pradesh-reduction-in-water-levels-of-omkareshwar-and-indira-sagar-dam .
Many thanks,
Parvathy

Narmada Bachao Andolan

2, Sai Nagar, Mata Chowk, Khandwa, M.P

Tel: 0733-2228418, 09425394606. 09425928007

E-mail: [email protected]

 

ACTION ALERT! ACTION ALERT!! ACTION ALERT!!!

Dear Friends,

The oustees of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam in the Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh, who are fighting for their rights and their life are in the need of your urgent support. The Government and the company NHDC Limited which has built these dams are illegally and in violation of the Orders of the High Court and Supreme Court raising the water level in these dams, causing submergence of lands and houses of thousands of oustees without rehabilitation. 34 oustees of Omkareshwar dam along with senior activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan Chittaroopa Palit have been on “Jal-Satyagraha” and are standing in the Omkareshwar dam water for last 7 days. Many of these jal satyagrahies have developed blisters in their feet.Water has now reached up to their chin level & even a little more rise in the water level would be fatal. Water in some of the villages affected by Indira Sagar Dam has completely submerged the houses & fields.

OMKARESHWAR DAM

In May 2011, the Apex Court ruled that the authorities are obliged to allot a land for land and a minimum of 2 ha. of land, well in advance of the completion of dam construction. However, although an entire year has passed since the judgment, the State has failed to allot land to the over 2500 land-holder families. It may noted that recently even the Grievance Redressal Authority has said in its orders that the rehabilitation policy has not been followed and all the oustees of Omkareshwar dam should be given land in lieu of land. Over 1000 families remain to be allotted even house-plots. Various other entitlements remain to be provided.

Yet, the State Government and the project authorities have announced that they intend to raise the water level of the Omkareshwar dam to 193 meters from the earlier level of 189 meters and on 25 th August, 2012 when the authorities raised the level of the reservoir by 1.5 meters, the oustees started Jal Satyagraha and since then they are standing in the water of Omkareshwar dam.

INDIRA SAGAR DAM

Similarly, in the Indira Sagar dam area also thousands of oustees are yet to be given land and other rehabilitation entitlements. There are orders of Supreme Court and High Court that the water level in Indira Sagar dam cannot be raised beyond level of 260 meters. In spite of this, the government has started raising the water level beyond 260 meters. In protest, Jal Satyagraha has started today at three places in the Indira Sagar dam submergence areas in villages Khardana, Badgaon Mal and Badkhaliya of Districts Harda and Khandwa.

The oustees of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam urgently need your support.

We request you to :

  1. Write to Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh and Collector, Khandwa asking him to bring the water level down to 189 meters in Omkareshwar dam and 260 meters in Indira Sagar dam and to rehabilitate all the oustees by giving them land and other rehabilitation entitlements.(Petitions are attached below, pl. send e-mail, and fax)
  2. Come to the Narmada Valley and join the Jal Satyagraha of the oustees.
  3. Hold demonstration/other programmes in support of Jal Satyagraha.

Thank you for your support,

In solidarity,

Alok Agarwal, Radheshyam Tirole, Sakubai, Radhabai

Note : Khandwa is on Delhi-Mumbai, Howrah- Mumbai rail line. 3 hrs by road from Indore, 4 hrs by train from Bhopal

Contacts : Alok Agarwal (094259-28007, 09009710068), Chittaroopa Palit (09425394606), Gulabchand (09424524638), Khandwa office : 0733-2228318

You can see more photographs of the Satyagraha in this FaceBook Album

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To,

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan,

Chief Minister,

Government of Madhya Pradesh,

Vallabh Bhawan,

Bhopal

Phone: 0755- 2441033. 0755- 2441581, 0755- 2441096

Fax: 91-755-2441781, 2540501,

E-mail: [email protected]

Subject : Urgent action regarding oustees of Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar Dams.

Dear Sir,

We have learnt with deep shock that the water level in Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams in the Narmada Valley have been illegally raised causing submergence of numerous lands and houses of oustees of these dams. Oustees of these dams have not been rehabilitated and resettled as per rehabilitation policy by giving them agricultural land and other rehabilitation entitlements. Although the Supreme Court has clearly ordered that these oustees have to be rehabilitated 6 months before submergence, thousands of families who are yet to be rehabilitated are now being submerged in complete violation of Supreme Court and High Court orders.

We have also learned that many oustees have been standing in Omkareshwar dam water and also in Indira Sagar dam, demanding reduction in water level and rehabilitation before submergence. It is extremely disturbing that the oustees have to embark on Jal Satygraha to get their due rehabilitation rights.

We, therefore request you to immediately order reduction in water level in Omkareshwar dam to 189 meters and in Indira Sagar Dam to 260 meters and rehabilitate all the oustees by giving agricultural land and other rehabilitation entitlements.

Thanking you,

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To,

The Collector,

District Khandwa,

Khandwa,

Madhya Pradesh.

Phone -09425679288(Mobile)

91-733-2224153(O),91-733-2223333(R) ;

Fax : 91-733-2224233

E-mail: [email protected]

Subject : Urgent action regarding oustees of Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar Dams.

Dear Sir,

We have learnt with deep shock that the water level in Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams in the Narmada Valley have been illegally raised causing submergence of numerous lands and houses of oustees of these dams. Oustees of these dams have not been rehabilitated and resettled as per rehabilitation policy by giving them agricultural land and other rehabilitation entitlements. Although the Supreme Court has clearly ordered that these oustees have to be rehabilitated 6 months before submergence, thousands of families who are yet to be rehabilitated are now being submerged in complete violation of Supreme Court and High Court orders.

We have also learned that many oustees have been standing in Omkareshwar dam water and also in Indira Sagar dam, demanding reduction in water level and rehabilitation before submergence. It is extremely disturbing that the oustees have to embark on Jal Satygraha to get their due rehabilitation rights.

We, therefore request you to immediately order reduction in water level in Omkareshwar dam to 189 meters and in Indira Sagar Dam to 260 meters and to rehabilitate and resettle all the oustees by allotting agricultural land to them and providing them other rehabilitation entitlements.

Thanking you,


Narmada  Bachao  Andolan
2, Sai Nagar, Mata Chowk,
Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh -450 001
Telefax : 0733 - 2228318
E-mail : [email protected]




 

 


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