The Hindu : Fifteen tribals attempted suicide at Narmada dam site

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 11, 2003

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Fifteen tribals attempted suicide at Narmada dam site

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi Dec. 10. Even as the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), chaired by the Water Resources Secretary, is meeting here tomorrow to discuss raising the height of the Narmada dam in Gujarat, 15 displaced tribals are reported to have attempted suicide at the dam site last Friday. They are said to be unemployed tribal youth who have been displaced and not rehabilitated. After being rescued, they were booked under Sections 309 and 188 of the IPC for attempt to commit suicide and disobedience.

Asked about the incident, the Commissioner of the Sardar Sarovar Rehabilitation Agency in Gandhinagar, Dagur, said that they were not part of the rehabilitation and resettlement plan, as their homes and lands were not submerged because of the reservoir. (The canal-affected people are not considered for rehabilitation by the Government.)

Mr. Dagur said there were no families pending for rehabilitation in Gujarat. Only three families remained at the Full Reservoir Level and that too "for technical reasons."

The present height of the Sardar Sarovar Project (Narmada dam) is 100 m. The NCA has to decide whether to allow the Gujarat Government to raise the height to 110 m, which would cause more submergence and displacement. All the riparian States, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, must rehabilitate people six months before raising the height.

Reacting to the incident, the Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar, said from Badwani, Madhya Pradesh, that "while in no way the NBA condones the attempt to commit suicide, it brings to public attention the grave injustice and destitution faced by the dam-affected people in Gujarat.

In every single meeting of the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Sub-Group, Gujarat repeatedly claims it has rehabilitated all 4,600 project-affected people and seeks approval to increase the dam height to 110 m, the ground reality shows that people displaced at the dam heights of 80, 90, and 100 m have not even been adequately rehabilitated in violation of the NWDT award as well as the Supreme Court Order of 2000 and fundamental human rights.

Even in the original villages of Mukhdi, Hapeshwar, Gader etc., 300 families remain, not to talk of thousands of families displaced by canal, colonies and livelihoods affected downstream and in the catchment area."

"The unfortunate incident this week should compel the Governments to take cognisance of the gravity of the situation, stop submitting erroneous reports, and halt construction on the dam until all project-affected people are resettled. The NBA expects the Courts, including the Apex Court, to take cognisance and legal action to insure that this happens."

The Ministry of Water Resources, which depends on State Governments for reports on rehabilitation and resettlement, was unaware of the incident.

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