Tension rises in areas affected by Narmada project

Bhopal: Tension mounted in areas in Madhya Pradesh affected by the Narmada dam project, with the state government using “coercive” measures to make people facing displacement accede to its rehabilitation package by July 31, the deadline set by the Supreme Court to complete the resettlement exercise.

Reports from at least 192 villages, facing partial or total submergence by the backwaters of the dam project, said people had been resisting the revenue officials visiting their houses and trying to force them to accept the “flawed” rehabilitation package of the state government.

“The state government employees have been moving from house to house in these villages trying to force the people to sign ‘Vachan Patra’, agreeing to shift before July 15, with a statement ‘I am willing to take whatever benefits the government offers as per the rules’,” said reports. The state government is allegedly trying to evict at least 2,50,000 people without properly rehabilitating them.

“Coercive measures by the state government have sparked strong resentment among the people facing displacement, leading to a war-like situation in the area,” Narmada Bachao Andolan spearhead and social activist Medha Patkar told this newspaper on Friday.

Madhya Pradesh inspector general of police (intelligence) told reporters that superintendents of police of four districts had been put on alert following the development. One battalion of force had been dispatched to the area, he added.

According to Ms Patkar, the 78 rehabilitation sites developed by the MP government for resettlement of the dam-affected villagers were yet to be provided with basic amenities like roads, drains and drinking water.

Besides, hundreds of people have been left out of the rehabilitation package, following flawed enumeration.

Although, the state government estimated that 18, 346 families would face displacement, in reality, the number of families to be displaced would be twice the figure, Ms Patkar added.