From: NAPM India <napmindia@napm-india.org>
Date: Sat, Jul 21, 2012 at 9:49 PM
Subject: [initiative-india] Wang-Marathwadi Dam Update : Medha Patkar, Prasad Rao Gaekwad, and many others standing in Waist Deep Water
To: napm-india <napm-india@googlegroups.com>, napmmedia <napmmedia@googlegroups.com>, nbapresslist@lists.riseup.net, gbgbamedia@googlegroups.com, GBGB-Andolan@googlegroups.com
Jal Satyagraha Continues in Wang Marathwadi Dam Submergence. Doobenge par hatenge Nahi
Medha Patkar, Suniti S R, Prasad Rao Gaekwad, Shanta Bai and many others standing in Waist Deep Water
Wang Marathwadi / New Delhi, July 21 : Jal Satyagraha continues amidst rain, submergence of fields, wells, without any light in the area and dwindling supply. Farmers, landless workers and project affected people from the villages of Minel, Wamankedha, Marathwadi, Wadhawadi, Ghotil and others are taking turns to stand in water for hours together. They have threatened to drown themselves but not to leave their land without due resettlement and rehabilitation.
In morning they were joined by Medha Patkar who came along with other activists from Mumbai, Pune and other places. Due to incessant phone calls, appeals and pressures from across the country the authorities have opened both the gates of the dam however, the outlet channel canals and other outlets remain closed as a result the water levels continue to rise.
Water has already entered the fields of the villages and covered the water wells too. Many of the approach roads to the villages have also been submerged but the government is yet to make provisions for boats.
Today the officials of the district administration and those of the Krishna Valley Development corporation visited the site in the afternoon but refused to do anything other than requesting them to stop Jal Satyagraha.
It remains to be noted that out of nearly 1700 displaced families only 600-700 families have got some land and compensation, that too nearly 8-10 kms away from their current places of residence, even the basic facilities associated with the R&R sites have not been provided. More than a thousand families remains to be rehabilitated but even then the filling up of reservoir has started by the authorities. Officials said that R&R efforts are on and will continue but the activists have asked them to first stop filling the reservoir, bring down the water level, pay for the submergence of their crops and then only they will withdraw their Satyagraha.
It is extremely unfortunate that even after 14 years those whose land was taken for constructing the very structure of the dam, even they have not got any compensation. Some of the land was initially taken on lease at the rate of 6,500 Rs. / acre but even they have not been paid after the expiry of the lease and their land has been illegally acquired and submerged.
Since Morning Suniti S R, Prasad Rao Gaekwad, Sitaram Patil, Jitender Patil, Shanta Bai, Kanchan Pawar were in waters and later their place was taken in evening by Medha Patkar, Sumit Mohite, Anil Shinde, Mahender Patil, Sunanda Tai, Sharmila Tai and Ranjana Tai. Nearly 500 people have been camping at the Satyagraha site at the moment for past few days.
It is high time that government took appropriate action to rehabilitate the project affected families and done justice to them. It is a matter of shame that those who have sacrificed for the 'development' have to undergo submergence in pursuit of their right.
Sandeep Pandey, Prafulla Samantara, Maj. Gen. Sudhir Vombatkere, Roma, Gautam Bandopadhyay, Arundhati Dhuru, Dr. Sunilam, P Chennaiah, Suniti S R, Gabriele Dietrich, Sister Celia, Ramakrishnan Raju, Anand Mazgaonkar, Suhas Kolhekar, Vimal Bhai, Rajendra Ravi, Mukta Srivastava, Madhuresh Kumar
For details call : Suniti S R 9423571784 / Madhuresh 9818905316
In past several meetings orders for preventing reservoir-filling and directing prior rehabilitation has been passed but no action and people are forced to now drown themselves. Shame on them !
| Sl. No. | Date of Letter | From | To | Content of Letter |
| | 29/11/2011 | Rajesh Narvekar, Deputy Secretary, Revenue and Forest Dept. | Dr. N. Ramaswamy, Collector, Satara | Direction to expedite and complete the rehabilitation of the Wang – Marathwadi project affected families, prior to any further work on the dam and submit a compliance report to the state government |
| | 17/3/2011 | Dy. District Officer (Rehabilitation), Satara | Executive Engineer (EE), Minor Irrigation projects, Satara | In pursuance with the policy decision of the Govt. Of Maharashtra dated 14-9-2004 of "Rehabilitation First, Dam Next", filling of any dam reservoir requires prior sanction of the District Collector. The Rehabilitation Officer warned the EE that if the oustees face any problem due to reservoir filling, he would have to take entire responsibility for the same. |
| | 3/12/2011 | Rajesh Narvekar, Deputy Secretary, Revenue and Forest Dept. | Dr. N. Ramaswamy, Collector, Satara | Direction to the Collector to submit an immediate Action Taken Report on the ministerial decision to withdraw the false cases slapped against the oustees and activists of the Wang Marathwadi Displaced persons affected organization. |
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