Kejriwal seeks justice for dam-affected people from MP CM

Delhi CM urges Shivraj Chouhan to come up with a concrete solution for those displaced by the Omkareshwar project

Aam Admi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to speak to the Omkareshwar dam-affected people and come up with a “concrete solution” for them so that they could be “rehabilitated” adequately.

Kejriwal began his letter dated 20 April 2015 stating that he had tried to speak to Chouhan over telephone on this “very serious” and “complex matter”, but in vain due to the latter's busy schedule. A copy of the letter is with Business Standard.

He has said in his letter that if the affected people are removed without rehabilitation, it would be “injustice” with them. The Delhi chief minister also mentioned that he was associated with the “movement” for a long time.

The state government has already cleared its stand that it had compensated the affected people adequately in 2012 with an additional compensation amount of Rs 225 crore. “Even each landless person was given Rs 2.5 lakh,” said a government official.

As many as twenty Omkareshwar (west Madhya Pradesh) project affected family members are observing Jal Satyagrah by standing in tail-waters of dam reservoir which is constructed on Narmada river. They are protesting a recent decision of state government to raise the reservoir level of Omkareshwar dam from 189 meters to 191 meters. The protesting farmers have demanded that the district administration not only compensate them adequately but also provide them land against land as per Supreme Court directives.

Many other members of AAP jointed the ‘Jal Satyagrah’ in support of the Omkareshwar oustees. “Our supporters observed ‘Jal Satyagrah’ in Indore, Gwalior, Vidisha, Betul, Shivpuri, Satna, Sidhi and Sagar and would continue despite those who are observing Jal Satyagrah in Ghogalgaon (near dam site) has developed sever fungal and skin infection in their feet,” Alok Agrawal, activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan and AAP member said. The villagers are observing Jal Satyagrah for the last ten days. They had also observed a similar protest in 2012 for 17 days.

“Those who are observing protest were given barren land against their land,” Agrawal further said, “The government cannot ignore the poor farmers. Neither representative of the government nor any doctor visited the protest site. It shows how serious is the government towards farmers.”  The state government had said on 17th of this month that it would not roll back its decision as it is a question of those farmers who would reap the benefit of raising the dam height. “The left bank canal of the project is now irrigating up to 65 km of length and the farmers are celebrating it,” a state government official has said.