Indefinite Hunger Strike demanding rehabilitation of those displaced by the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar projects has entered the 5th day. The plight of displaced people worsens due to blatant flouting of Supreme Court orders. Displaced people argue that the price of thousands of lives is larger than the State's fiscal loss.

On the fifth day of the indefinite sit-in of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar affected people, thousands of families are still continuing to throng the dharna site. The indefinite hunger-strike of a group of five people comprising of affected persons and activists of the Narmada Bachao Andolan as well as the three-day hunger strike in solidarity by 89 people from 30 affected villages continued today. A large number of people from the Maheshwar dam affected regions visited the dharna site too, and expressed their solidarity.

It is to be noted that thousands of displaced people from both the Indira Sagar Project as well as Omkareshwar project are being forced to suffer like destitutes due to the non-compliance of rehabilitation policy and plans. According to the information provided to the High Court by the state government and NHDC, more than 85% of the families displaced from the first five affected villages of the Omkareshwar project – namely Sailani, Bakhatgarh, Gunjari, Paldi and Rampura – have been unable to purchase any land. Same is the case of more than 83% families of the Indira Sagar project. More than 80% of the families who have been unable to buy land are the marginal and small farmers and adivasis, harijans and other poors. It is clear from these figures that displacement has pushed these affected people to the brink of total pauperisation.

The Supreme Court of India, considering displacement as an issue related to the Fundamental Right to Life and taking it under the Article 21 of the Constitution of India, has guaranteed full protection to the displaced people. In the verdicts of the Supreme Court in case of Narmada Bachao Andolan v/s Union of India of the year 2000 and year 2005, and of N D Jayal v/s Union of India regarding Tehri Dam, the apex court clearly ruled that after displacement the life standards of displaced people must be better than before. But the plight of the displaced people from the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar affected regions clearly shows that these Supreme Court orders have been blatantly flouted. In fact the High Court of MP (Jabalpur Bench) has ordered that the reservoirs of Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams should not be allowed to fill up because the rehabilitation of the displaced persons has not been done according to the rehabilitation policies and plans.

Not only this, the government surveys in the case of both Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams have been proven false. In the surveys conducted after the orders of the High Court, thousands of new houses and thousands of acres of extra land has been found to be coming under submergence. Not only have these newly declared affected families not been rehabilitated as yet, but their land acquisition also has not yet taken place. In this scenario, to fill up the dam reservoirs will mean a direct threat to the lives of all these families. The claims of the project authorities that not filling up water in the dam reservoirs is causing fiscal loss to the state government shows the apathy and indifference of the authorities regarding the lives and Right to Life of these thousands of families.

It is due to this insensitivity of the state government and NHDC that over five thousand people have been forced to leave their farming and labour to sit on a dharna in Khandwa. The affected people have expressed their firm resolve that they will return to their villages only when they achieve their just and full rights. 

Hunger Strike Enters Third Day

As the indefinite dharna called by thousands of affected people of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar projects continues, the 5 people sitting on an indefinite hunger strike entered into their third day. Today, taking the struggle forward, 89 men and women from 30 affected villages have sat on a three day hunger strike. A delegation from the Andolan met with the General Manager, Rehabilitation and had a detailed discussion about the problems of rehabilitation.

Last evening the delegation met with the General Manager, NHDC, Shri Sanjay Mukharia for a detailed discussion. During the discussion Shri Mukharia said that decisions with regard to land for land; awards to adult sons and land to the landless would be taken by the state government.

On being apprised about the problems at the rehabilitation sites he said that details of these should be given to him in writing and that he would ensure that immediate action is taken. He informed the group that a decision had been taken to provide services and facilities at private rehabilitation sites as well.

In villages where land may not be under submergence but people's houses would be submerged, he gave an assurance that rehabilitation sites would be allotted within a kilometre of the affected areas.

With regard to those thousands of families who have not received grants, the General Manager said that NHDC would examine the detailed written complaints of all these affected families and take immediate action.

He informed the group that there had been a decision to take immediate action on issues related to islands being left out and various other issues related to the rehabilitation policy.

It is worth mentioning that in the past few days the affected people had carried out an examination of documents of the NHDC, Survey Division Number 13. It was found that that in spite of being proposed, thousands of houses had been arbitrarily left out of the survey without reason. Even after being served notices under section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, several houses have been left out in an illegal manner.

Thousands of people affected by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar Dams have been sitting on an indefinite dharna for the past 5 days. Meanwhile from the 6^th of June 2007, five people – Chitaroopa Palit, Bhagwan Mukati, Krishna Bai, Suraj Bai and Ashok Chaturvedi have entered the third day of their indefinite hunger strike. Today, taking the struggle forward 89 men and women from 30 affected villages have declared a three-day hunger strike.

Community food is being cooked at the dharna site with the grains brought by people from all the affected villages. People from Khandwa and neighbouring regions are providing extensive support to the dharna by their presence at the site and by providing for food grains.

The dharna continues with fervour as the affected people continue to fight for their rights. The affected people are strongly committed to continuing their struggle till their rights over land and livelihoods are restored.

Alok Agarwal, Dharamraj Jain are with Narmada Bachao Andolan