BHOPAL: The indefinite ‘satyagraha’ by people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam in four districts of Madhya Pradesh, continued for the second day outside the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) office in Bhopal on Sunday.
Spearheading the movement of the people from 178 villages in the submergence zone of the dam, the Medha Patkar-led Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) organized a Jan Sunvai (public hearing), where the protesting villagers raised their key concerns arising from the filling of the Dam to the full reservoir level.
NBA leader Medha Patkar is likely to meet senior bureaucrats of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, intent on getting a written assurance from the state government for proper compensation and rehabilitation of the dam displaced population.
Besides members from multiple communities living in the, including women, agricultural labourers, farmers, fishermen, boatmen and potters, senior journalist LH Hardenia, CPM leader and chief of Madhya Pradesh Kisan Sabha Jasvinder Singh and Dayaram Namdev, who is the Director of Gandhi Bhawan Trust, also attended the protest.
The affected, mainly from Dhar, Barwani, Alirajpur and Khargone districts of West MP, first sat on protest at the Shahjahani Park, but later shifted to stage dharna on the main road outside the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) office in Arera Hills area on Saturday.
However, initial negotiations with officials fell through. Ex-MLA Dr Sunilam, who is also the convener of the National Alliance for Peoples Movement (NAPM), said “the indefinite protests will continue outside the NVDA office till the state government gives an assurance to compensate and rehabilitate 32,000 families affected by the filling of the dam till the full reservoir level in Gujarat.”