A large number of people affected in Madhya Pradesh due to the backwater of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in adjoining Gujarat observed "Dhikkar Diwas on Tuesday, the 69th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and held a protest to highlight their demands.
Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) oustees led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) members squatted on the Khandwa-Baroda state highway-26 here as part of the protest.
Some of them got their heads shaved as a mark of protest and demanded that the SSD's gates be opened immediately as the backwater of the reservoir built on the Narmada river in Gujarat has flooded their homes located in the catchment area of the mega dam on the Narmada river.
The protesters said they were observing "Dhikkar Diwas" (day of condemnation) on the day when the Gujarat government organised a festival at the dam site in Narmada district to coincide with Modi's 69th birthday.
The PM visited Kevadiya village in the adjoining state to take part in the 'Namami Narmada' festival being celebrated by the Gujarat government to mark the filling up of the dam to its full reservoir level of 138.68 metres.
"The Gujarat Chief Minister andall officers raised the level of water in the dam to 138.68 metres only for the sake ofcelebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modijis birthday.
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"We damn the celebrations on his birthday. Wish him a long life. But he should understand his duty and responsibility, and let people live, NBA leader Medha Patkar told reporters here.
The protesters blocked traffic on the Khandwa-Baroda highway and squatted near Kasrawad bridge on the river Narmada after taking out a rally.
The NBA is spearheading the agitation to demand that the SSD's gates be opened immediately and also pushing for proper rehabilitation of dam oustees.
The backwater has partially or fully flooded 192 villages and one township in MP, Himshi Singh, an activist of the National Alliance for Peoples Movements, to which the NBA is attached, said.
"We want the sluice gates to be closed only after total rehabilitation of residents of 192 villages and one town in MP's Barwani, Dhar, Alirajpur and Khargone districts," she added.
"Dam oustees are observing Dhikkar Diwas against filling of the SSD to its full reservoir level that has wrecked havoc in Madhya Pradesh, the activist said.