Politics on Height of Dam

Pt. Nehru, founder of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty rule in India, laid the foundation stone of Sardar Sarovar Project in 1961. Nehru's view that dams are "temples of modern India," quoted in school textbooks.

The importance of the Narmada Dam in meeting India’s water needs is well known. A false opposition is too often made between rehabilitation and dam construction. The government must stop the temptation to do the easy thing and propagate that either-or fallacy. It would hurt the country’s development. It would be politically self-destructive.


Who follows Supreme Court?

On Nov 13, 2000 Medha Patkar had criticized the Supreme Court order as one of "life imprisonment" for the 44,000 families of the Narmada Valley, who would be displaced by the multi-billion rupee dam project. Does Congress follow Supreme Court’s decision on ‘Hindutv’, Common Civil Code and Shah Bano Case?


Rehabitation Facts:

An official in the M.P.state government insisted on April 7, 2006 in Bhopal insisted that a total of 24,421 families have been affected, he said. Of them, 14,123 families were rehabilitated as per the directives of the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal Award and the Supreme Court. Only a few did not get compensation because they chose not to take it. Land plots were provided to 4,286 families but 3,879 declined them, as they perceive the location as unsuitable. In rural rehabilitation locations, the plots allotted were 60 feet by 90 feet while the urban size was 60 feet by 40 feet,"


‘Quit India’

Walking nearly nine kilometers in New Delhi to the World Bank's offices, protestors in the leadership of Medha shouted slogans against the global project lender and demanded that it “quit India”. Actually this was drama to misguide and misuse of Mahatma Gandhi’s slogan. She is also misusing Gandhi's 'Ahinsa (non Voilence)'.


WCD of World Bank

WCD of World Bank acted like a nominated group of a few handpicked NGOs and anti-dam campaigners. The inclusion of two Commissioners from India both of whom were well known for their leanings for 'anti-dam' is somewhat surprising as any final outcome from such skewed constitution would necessarily be biased; Ms. Medha Phadkar, Commissioner chosen from India had filed a writ in Supreme Court at the time of the WCD process initiation. Not only did it choose, for its consultation, a majority of 'anti-dam' lobbyists but also it sidelined the 'pro-Dam' lobby, if one may call so.

For its own preset motives, WCD had underplayed the past contribution of Dams to Societies while overstating the costs. It can more appropriately be said that WCD is not a World Commission on Dams but a ‘World Commission on Anti-Dams’. The information supplied, with respect to the positive contribution/ impact of all the select Indian Dams like Nagarjunasagar, Bhakra etc., was chosen to be ignored which would otherwise have brought the positive contribution or picture in this regard.


Gaming in the name of “Human Rights”?

“WCD has gone yet further to bring in issues like declaration of human rights and declaration on right to development etc. though these were certainly beyond their terms of reference on 'Dams and Development'.” This is co-incident that in the name of ‘Human rights” Narendra Modi was also attacked by so called NGOs, Human Commission Activist and Bush Govt.

Water Minister Soz had argued that the decision stopping height of dam was taken in his capacity as chairman of the review committee of the Narmada Control Authority. After controversy on double profiting now comes double role. In the past Soz had oppesed ongoing census operation in J & K. “The scientific frame cannot be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir”, he said. Has he opposed on going census process in the army as decided by UPA Govt.?


In April5, 2000 Soz said in his memorandum to National Human Rights Commission, the massacre of innocent persons in Chatti Singhpora in Anantnag had been widely condemned. Though the forces claimed that these five were terrorists involved in the Chatti Singhpora massacre


'Shun coke'

After spreading sexual pollution abroad, now Amir was talking about the environment. He is planning to be ‘hero’ in politics also. Medha Patkar is leading ‘Narmada bachao Andolan’. Arundhati Roy and Amir Khan come in the picture to support her. Has Cabinet Minister Soz indirect support to her movement? Narendra Modi again comes in the lime light off politics. This time even Gujarat Congress can’t dare to oppose him. 'Shun coke': Apparently, the gas victims urged the superstar to refrain from endorsing Coke, as the soft drink had "contaminated" rivers in MP.


Arundhati Roy in DVD

On whose invitation McLibel filmmaker Franny Armstrong picked up a DV camera and a solar power pack and journeyed to the lush, valley village of Jalsindhi in Madhya Pradesh. The DVD included the 75-minute feature and a 15 minute update, shot for PBS television in the U.S. The BBC made a documentary Dam/Age centring on Roy's opposition to the dam, which came out on DVD.

Roy was born in Shillong, Meghalaya to a Keralite Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali Hindu father. She then proceeded to study architecture at the Delhi School of Architecture, where she met her first husband, the architect Gerard Da Cunha

Roy met her second husband, filmmaker Pradeep Kishen, in 1984, and moved into films under his influence. Arundhati Roy is the cousin of famous media personality Pronnoy Roy. In response to India's testing of nuclear weapons in Pokhran, Rajasthan, Roy wrote The End of Imagination, a critique of the Indian government's nuclear policies. Natwar Singh also said in China as Foreign Minister of India that Pokharan was the act of NDA, not the act of Congress.


Narrower agendas on greater public good

There’s a fight over on Narmada dam height, illegal urban construction in Delhi and Mumbai, there has already been a fight over quota extension and there may be another one; a legal challenge to what Arjun Singh proposes Mandalization in Higher Education. There is a fight between their narrower agendas and greater public good.

Bharat Nirman is its development slogan. But in three states where it’s rival is the BJP, its Narmada politics might look as if Left rhetoricians wrote it. The Left has no stake in the Narmada states. The Congress has.

On Sept 14, 2004, China has sent anti-terror troops with helicopters, patrol boats, armored cars and bomb disposal robots to defend the massive Three Gorges Dam project as part of a counter-terrorism program, official media reported. What do CPM say on this matter?

These dams are the life line for India and China both.
The government must fast-track rehabilitation work, not suspend work on the dam.

Premendra Agrawal
Premendra_in@indiatimes.com
www.Commercialservices.in/