New Delhi: In an appeal to the Narmada Control Authority on Wednesday (June 19), several concerned citizens, retired bureaucrats, environmentalists, activists, academics, and people’s organisations from across the country have called for the immediate and complete rehabilitation of all the families affected by the Sardar Sarovar project and asked for the reservoir level to be maintained at 122 metres.
Further, the petition pointed out that the rehabilitation of a few thousand affected families still remains pending and “the delay in providing justice by state and central governments and responsible agencies is particularly unjust towards Dalits and Adivasis”.
The signatories have also sent a copy of the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and union Jal Shakti minister C.R. Patil.
Notably, social activist Medha Patkar is on an indefinite fast since June 15 demanding that all the people affected by the Sardar Sarovar project should be rehabilitated as per the Supreme Court order.
The full text of the letter is below:
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We, the undersigned hundreds of concerned citizens and organisations from across India are writing to you in the context of the ongoing Satyagraha of oustees affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), near Village Chikalda, in Madhya Pradesh. We are deeply concerned for the rights of thousands of oustees, who are yet to be rehabilitated and facing the threat of submergence. We are equally concerned about the condition of social activist Medha Patkar, whose indefinite fast has entered the fifth day, demanding a fair and just rehabilitation for all the people affected by SSP.
As you are well-aware, Narmada Bachao Andolan has steadfastly advocated for the rights of adivasis, dalits, farmers, labourers, fisher-people and the marginalised through non-violent means during the four-decade old struggle. They have firmly opposed any submergence without rehabilitation, a principle also upheld on multiple occasions by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. They challenged the dominant narrative of ‘development’, forced governments and financial institutions to adopt policies to safeguard the rights of the affected communities and the environment. Due their brave and valiant struggle, thousands of oustees were able to receive rehabilitation in the three affected states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
However, we learn that many families, especially Adivasi, Dalit oustees, and those dependent on natural resources, continue to suffer due to lack of effective rehabilitation. They face hunger and homelessness due to unresolved issues such as inadequate or poor-quality land allocations, pending R&R, compensation, and the lack of essential facilities like water, roads, and schools at court-mandated rehabilitation sites. The delay in providing justice by state and central governments and responsible agencies is particularly unjust towards Dalits and adivasis.
The decisions of the Narmada Tribunal (Tribunal Award), rehabilitation policies, and court orders have been consistently violated by the implementation as well as monitoring authorities. In 2023, the flood, caused by significant mismanagement in regulating water flow in many dams in the Narmada Valley and the delayed opening of Sardar Sarovar gates, affected approximately 150 villages in Madhya Pradesh and farming areas in Maharashtra. Adivasis, farmers, fisher people, small traders severely faced the brunt. In the downstream areas of Gujarat, fishers, villagers and city-dwellers also suffered extensive damage.
In Madhya Pradesh, the revision of backwater levels in 2008 unjustly denied rehabilitation to 15,946 families, even after their homes were demolished and some received inadequate compensation! Many of these families now reside in vulnerable conditions in government buildings along the Narmada, facing damage from submergence.
Mismanagement by various authorities led to floods that violated laws and displaced thousands without proper rehabilitation or compensation, causing further hardships, after the dam got completed in 2017 and subsequent filling to full capacity in 2019.
The failure to adhere to regulations for maintaining the reservoir’s water level led to widespread submergence of villages, houses, and fields. Delayed actions during critical times exacerbated the impact, affecting several districts and communities. Despite efforts in Madhya Pradesh to provide relief and dialogue of NBA with various authorities, full R&R, compensation remains pending for many, including livestock losses and some human fatalities.
It is in this context that we support the demands of the struggle. They include:
➢ Complete and immediate rehabilitation must be ensured for all those affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project, as per law and judicial orders.
➢ Compensation for all damages inflicted until 2023 must be disbursed forthwith.
➢ Cancel revised backwater levels; resettle 15,946 families according to old levels.
➢ Ensure due appointments to the Grievance Redressal Authorities (GRAs) and fair resolution of the pending applications.
➢ Maintain the water level of Sardar Sarovar at 122 meters, until all affected are rehabilitated, as per law and directives of the Apex Court.
We urge you to urgently look into the matter, dialogue with the oustees and NBA, and resolve the issue in a fair way. We hope the Govt will not resort to any form of high-handedness or repression on the movement and will uphold the legal, human and constitutional rights of people.
Yours sincerely,
On behalf of the signatories to the petition from across India:
Dr. EAS Sarma, Anand Patwardhan, Prof. Rama Melkote Prafulla Samantara, Ashish Kothari, Prof. Anil Sadgopal, Dr. Rosemary Dzuvichu, Sharad Behar, Kavitha Kuruganti, Fr. Cedric Prakash, Dr. Roop Rekha Verma, Teesta Setalvad, Adv Clifton D’ Rozario, Zahid Parwaz Choudhary, Dr. Sudhir Vombatkere, Madhuri, Neelam Ahluwalia, Adv Shalini Gera, C.R Neelakandan, Hasina Khan, Tushar Gandhi, Nityanand Jayaraman, Adv Indira Unninayar, Richa Singh, Rohit Prajapati, Sukla Sen, Himanshu Thakkar, Mahendra Yadav, Dr. Gabriele Dietrich, Adv Vinay Sreenivasa, Purnima Upadhyay, Mohammad Ishak Van Gujjar, Kailash Meena, Nabinder Singh, Simin Akhter, Usmangani, Dr. Sunilam, Malika Virdi, Madhu Badhuri, Pavan Muntha and many others.
