Save our schools, cry Narmada children

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR, AUG. 27. A `jeevan yatra' (voyage of life) by children from the Narmada Valley here on Sunday drew public attention to the threat of submergence of the alternative units of education in about a dozen villages following the proposed increase in the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

About 70 children, including those of the oustees, brought out the rally on the Pink City roads singing songs and beating drums to highlight the fact that `jeevan shalas' launched by Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in 11 villages of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat would be submerged if the dam's height was increased.

The NBA had launched these alternative units in 1992 as the Government schools in the region were running only on paper. The threat of submergence has led to panic among the children otherwise deprived of basic education.

The rally was flagged off at Ramnivas Garden here by the Sarvodaya leader, Mr. Siddhraj Dhaddha. It had crossed Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior and New Delhi before reaching Jaipur. It had started on August 16 from Kasrawad in Madhya Pradesh with the blessings of Baba Amte.

The children urged the President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, to help save the `jeevan shalas' which have been functioning for a decade. Accompanied by the school children and civil rights activists of the Pink City, they gave vent to their feelings through paintings and drawings.

The yatra is now on its way to Bisalpur in Tonk district where the children will share their experiences with the oustees of the Bisalpur dam.

A review meeting on the Narmada project, chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister, Mr. Arjun Charan Sethi, in New Delhi had recently decided to increase the dam height from 90 metres to 100 metres. The issue has already led to controversy with the NBA opposing the move.

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