VADODARA: Twelve persons, affected by the Narmada Dam project, tried to commit suicide by jumping into the Narmada canal near Naswadi village in the district, but they were pulled out and arrested, police said.
Demanding jobs and land against their ancestral lands which they were forced to give for the Narmada Dam project, the 12 persons, including a woman, went to the canal and threatened to commit suicide if their demands were not met, a police official said.
"They belong to project-affected families who wanted jobs as well as land, as compensation for what they surrendered for the Narmada Dam project in Kevadia to the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNL)" Naswadi Circle Police Inspector B M Vasava said.
After gathering at the canal, all of them jumped into it to protest against the compensation given by SSNL.
However, local policemen pulled them out of the canal and arrested them. "All of them were rescued and sent to the hospital for treatment," Vasava said.
The 12, along with others, were shifted to Baroli-based settlements in south Gujarat as part of the state government's rehabilitation programme for project-affected people.
One of them, who jumped into the canal and was pulled out by police, said, "Benefits should be given to all members of project-affected families, as five acres of land given to one family member is not enough to sustain the entire family."
Work up to the height of 121.92 metres on the Narmada Dam was over six years ago and now installation of radial gates on the dam is on, which is likely to be completed in about three years, taking its height to 138 metres.