Politicians push project as oustees face submergence

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, AUG. 19. Despite flaws in the rehabilitation and resettlement of tribals who are being displaced by the Narmada dam, the Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority, which is the political face of the project, decided in its review meeting here on Saturday that rehabilitation of all the 7040 families has been done.

This is contrary to the ground reality that has emerged in official reports from both Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In both States ex-parte allotments of uncultivable land has been done and even today upto hundreds of families are still residing in their original villages facing submergence this monsoon. In fact, the Justice Daud Committee set up by the Maharashtra Government had advised the State to resist raising the height of the dam as rehabilitation and resettlement had not been done when the dam had been raised to 90 meters.

The Review Committee meeting paves the way for raising the height of the dam to 100 meters by June 2002, which is the schedule drawn by the Narmada Control Authority, a body of bureaucrats headed by the Water Resources Secretary. The next meeting of the Environment Sub-Group at the end of the month has to give the crucial nod for the next stage of activity after considering environmental safeguards. And for several other controversial decisions regarding the sharing of the costs for rehabilitation, for the construction of the irrigation by-pass tunnel, the Union Water Resources Ministry will seek directions from the Attorney- General, just as it had, for yielding to Gujarat's demand for building 3 meter high humps on the spillway of the dam.

Among those who attended the meeting chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister, Mr. Arjun Sethi, were the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Digvijay Singh and the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Keshubhai Patel. Maharashtra and Rajasthan were represented by their Irrigation Ministers.

Earlier it was forceable eviction and now ex-parte allotments has become the norm in the project. And what is being done is re- location. People have become mere figures in official meetings and discussions. So now it is said that at 90 meters 7040 families are being rehabilitated. At 95 meters, a balance of 7981 families are to be rehabilitated and at 100 meters a total of 8291 families are to be resettled. Families comprise a husband and wife and their children who have now become adults but have no rights or recognition in the Government's scheme of things.

It is no secret that since the Supreme Court ordered the reconstruction of the dam after staying it for over four years, Gujarat has been pushing for raising the height of the dam. It's latest demand is to raise the height from 90 meters at present to 100 meters at one stretch, whereas the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal had laid that rehabilitation and resettlement of oustees must be done six months in advance of raising the height of the dam.

In the Review Committee meeting, Mr. Digvijay Singh, raised serious objections to raising 3 meter humps over a height of 90 meters by a ``circular'' and not in a meeting. As a result, it was decided that in future the height of the dam would include the height of humps. Mr. Singh objected to construction of the irrigation by-pass tunnel and expressing ``resource constraint'' has urged the Centre to bridge the resource gap. The State will pay Rs. 70 crores to Gujarat of the Rs. 1620 crores it owes over the next five years.

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