Narmada activists face barricades

NEW DELHI, NOV. 13.

For many demonstrators of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), the barricade erected on Monday afternoon by the Delhi police here on Max Mueller Marg -- a stone's throw from the office of the World Bank -- represented a cordon they have been up against all these years.

Spearheading the Narmada Valley population's ``Call for Justice'' to the Capital, NBA representatives wanted the visiting World Bank President, Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, to come and meet the farmers, labourers and social activists from various organisations across the country.

More than 2,000 of these activists carrying placards like ``Dams : Damned, Doomed and Destroyed'' who have been camping

outside Rajghat for the past three days today took on the might of the Delhi police determined to have a decisive dialogue with the World Bank President in the Capital.

Their protest was accentuated because of the reported statement of the Mr. Wolfensohn that the Bank may consider taking up the project once more.

The ideological stumbling block notwithstanding, it was the physical barricade that activists from different parts of the country tried to break here this afternoon. With tempers running high, a few of the activists climbed up the walls of the barricade and tried to jump onto the other side.

With the World Bank officials initially unrelenting, demonstrators turned their ire on police. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with emotions and protesters raised slogans like ``Put an end to the anti-poor policies'' and ``Stop this disaster in the Narmada Valley.''

At one point of time, police had to use water cannon to keep protesters from crossing the barricade. Ms. Medha Patkar was told that the World Bank President was busy in a meeting. She challenged it stating when he could find time to attend a fashion show in the Capital, he could very well take out some time and meet them.

With NBA leaders deciding that they would camp at the site till Mr. Wolfensohn comes out and meets them, there was palpable tension in the area. Police kept appealing to the people and to Ms. Patkar and other leaders of the movement to keep the emotions of the people under check.

Addressing a public meeting at the demonstration venue, Ms. Patkar said she was not against development per se, but the Supreme Court verdict would endanger and jeopardise the lives of many people in the valley.

Towards evening, the World Bank President came out and met the NBA leaders. He assured that the Bank would look into all aspects of rehabilitation and relief concerns raised by the Narmada Bachao Andolan in the Bank-aided projects. The NBA leader highlighted the plight of the Narmada dam oustees and presented a memorandum to the World Bank chief.

Magsaysay award winner Ms. Aruna Roy, who joined the protesters, asked the Bank to consider alternative technology to avoid socially and environmentally unsustainable projects.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Other States
Previous : N-convention for collective rollback
Next     : MCD's better deal for school children