Barwani (Madhya Pradesh), Can one man’s ego be greater than the lives of millions? The answer to the question seems to be in the affirmative for some 32,000 families in the Malwa and Nimar regions of Madhya Pradesh, whose fate ironically has got linked to the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday celebrations.
As Modi celebrated his 69th birthday on Tuesday with much fanfare in his home state,
hundreds of Sardar Sarovar Dam Project Affected Persons (PAF) sat on a dharna near Kasrawad bridge on river Narmada here observing “Dhikkar Diwas” (Damnation Day).
The protest started with a rally led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan activists in the afternoon and continued till late in the evening from Khandwa-Baroda Road. Many protesters got their heads tonsured to mourn the submergence of large parts of Madhya Pradesh calling it a betrayal by the state’s last Shivraj Chouhan government.
“The Gujarat government raised the level of water in the dam to 139 metre height only for the sake of celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. We damn this birthday celebration. Wish him a long life. But he should understand his duty and responsibility to let people live,” NBA leader Medha Patkar told reporters here.
The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) is spearheading the protest demanding the gates of the SSD, built on the Narmada river, be opened immediately.
“The backwater has partially or fully flooded 192 villages in Barwani, Dhar, Alirajpur and Khargone districts and one township in MP. We want the sluice gates to be closed only after total rehabilitation of residents in these areas,” said Himshi Singh, an activist of the National Alliance for People’s Movement.
Madhya Pradesh is witnessing an unusually long and heavy spell of rain this year — one which has exposed the administrative and political perceptions.
The first casualty was Madhya Pradesh government’s credibility. The previous government led-by Shivraj Singh Chouhan had, under pressure from Gujarat government, agreed to raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to its full reservoir level.
And if that was not enough, the government also misled the Supreme Court by submitting on oath that the rehabilitation of all the families coming under submergence, would be completed by September 17, 2017. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the MP government even though the rehabilitation was not completed.
The water level of famous Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadia in Narmada district of Gujarat surged to its highest capacity at 138.67 meter on Sunday evening, but before that the areas earmarked for rehabilitation are have gone under following incessant rain. This happened for the first time since the dam’s height was raised in 2017.
“The dam has achieved its maximum capacity,” said Rajiv Gupta, Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL).
It also looks scenic from the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue, which is in the vicinity. Together the statue, the dam and Narmada valley are being developed by Gujarat as a tourist destination.
“Benefits of its development are reaped by one and the consequences are faced by another. Do we have no objection to this model,” asked the protesters.
“The Centre had brought this catastrophic model of development before the country on September 17, 2017 — Modiji’s birthday — with the inauguration of the Sardar Sarovar Dam after raising its height to 138.68 meters. This year again Modiji is celebrating his birthday by drowning millions of people and an entire civilisation,” said the protesters.
“So far no orders have been issued by the Madhya Pradesh government on the decisions taken in a full-day meeting between the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the state administration on September 9. The Madhya Pradesh government is also falling short in relief and rescue work. There are many villages where not even a single officer has reached as yet,” said Patkar.
