From: napmindia <napmindia@napm-india.org>
Date: Sat, Apr 27, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Subject: [initiative-india] Action Alert: Repression in Narmada Canal Villages - Act Fast
To:
Date: 27th April, 2013
ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT
Act fast to stop repressive canal work in Narmada Valley
Call and Fax Badwani Collector, Minister, MoEF, CM
A Public Servant Tells this to People in a Democracy.
Let Him Know What You Think About It. CALL, SMS Mob: 09425790303
| "I have not come here for any dialogue with any of you (villagers) or the activists. Canal construction must be completed by 15th June, at any cost. The work will go on with police force, arresting your family, women and children as well if canal work is questioned.If any of you have problems, come to meet me at 10 p.m. or 2 p.m. in the mid-night at the police station. Contractors need not be worried about anything. Take my number, SDM's number directly, if canal work is questioned. I am the law" Mr. Shriman Sahukla, Collector, District Badwani |
Friends,
The events at Village Nandra, last month, must be fresh in your mind, where the farmers valiantly questioning the Omkareshwar canal work in violation of all environmental norms and rehabilitation
were arrested, false case foisted and forcible excavation undertaken, by destroying standing crop. Your support is once again urgently needed, this time by the adivasis and farmers from other villages including Mandil, Mundla, Khadkal (Rajpur Tehsil, Badwani Dist) and Malangaon, Karoli, Chhota Barda etc. (Tehsil Manavar, Dist. Dhar), who are facing the repression of the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh Govt, which is pushing ahead the canal work in violation of all norms on agricultural safeguards, environmental compliance and rehabilitation.
The Collector, Badwani with the BJP leaders and local MLA went to some of the adivasi villages Mandil, Mundla, in the Rajpur Tehsil yesterday (villages which MoEF Expert Committee had visited last year and issued recommendations), purportedly for inspection, but virtually had no meaningful dialogue with the poor adivasi-farmers and instead resorted to most vulgar abuse of the adivasis and unjustifiable threats given to the people and activists.
| "I have not come here for any dialogue with any of you (villagers) or the activists. Canal construction must be completed by 15th June, at any cost. The work will go on with police force, arresting your family, women and children as well if canal work is questioned.If any of you have problems, come to meet me at 10 p.m. or 2 p.m. in the mid-night at the police station. Contractors need not be worried about anything. Take my number, SDM's number directly, if canal work is questioned. I am the law" Mr. Shriman Sahukla, Collector, District Badwani |
The Collector was in no mood to listen to any of the issues raised by the people and was only harping on canal construction at any cost. The issue is not just of canals, but the absolutely arrogant and repressive attitude of the Collector and the 'people's representatives, which is being questioned by the adivasis and farmers in the notified scheduled area.
The Collector in the presence of BJP leaders, contractors, enginners and NVDA officials virtually threatened the adivasis-farmers that no questioning of any sort with be tolerated. All this happened when the people were trying to tell them that while the canal has been dug many years ago, rest of the lands are also affected either by huge rubble deposited on un-acquired potions of land, severe water logging, 60% land oustees not provided alternative cultivable land etc. None of these issues were seriously heard or considered by the Collector and the politicians, including the local MLA,Mr. Devisingh Patel, who threatened the adivasis and insulted them, abusing them and the activist with most vulgar words, calling us 'foreign agents! This situation of repression is similar in Malangaon, Karoli, Nandra and other villages and people are having to question this with the Expert Committee's report in their hands.
This approach is despite the fact that even the most recent MoEF Expert Committee's 2nd Field Visit Report has concluded huge gaps in Narmada canal planning and work. The Expert Committee after visit to the villages in January, 2012 and February 2013 recommended that farmers who have faced impacts of muck disposal or destruction of un-acquired land must be compensated, 60% land oustees not provided alternative cultivable land, on-farm safeguard measures must be completed before canal work, canals should not be pushed in irrigated villages at a distance of 3 kms from Narmada etc. The Collctor and politicians did not care to listen to any of these.
The Expert Committee's recommendation that the administration and NVDA must have dialogue with NBA and the farmers is being compleley flouted and the Collector himself has taken an extremely arrogant position that 'no dialogue with NBA and the farmers' will be tolerated. In this situation of complete repression and arrogance of the ruling party and the district / state administration, we request you to intervene most imemdiately since the excavation in complete disregard of all law and environmetal sagfegaurds may start anytime from today morning at Mandil and other villages.
DEMAND:
Immediate implementation of all the recommendations of the MoEF Expert Monitoring Committee and execution of command area and farm safeguard measures before any canal construction and mitigation of health impacts.
Annual compensation for muck disposal on un-acquired land, destruction of standing crop due to water logging and alternative land based rehabilitation to farmers losing more than 60% land
Demand review of canals in irrigated villages and detailed consultation with farmers
Please do register your protest with: Call/Fax/ Mail
| Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan | Ms. Jayanthi Natarjan Hon'ble Minister, and Dr. B.B. Durman, Director Ministry of Environment and Forests, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi Fax: 011-24362222 / 24361727 Email: mosefgoi@nic.in , bidhu-mef@nic.in | Mr. Shriman Shukla, Collector, District Badwani 07290-224001 07290-224002 Mob: 09425790303 E-mail: Ph: 09425790303 |
More details are in our enclosed letter to the Director, MoEF. Hoping you will act fast for justice, which hundreds to a few thousands are waiting.
With sincere regards,
Medha Patkar (09423965153) Mukesh Bhagoria (09826811982)
Meera (09179148973) Kailash Awasya (09009147868)
National Office : 6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 26241167 / 24354737 Mobile : 09818905316
Web : www.napm-india.org
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