Author: Navin Upadhyay
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 8, 2006
26 file affidavits saying NBA prevented them
from accepting rehab ---- Bad news for Medha Patkar. As damaging facts begin
to emerge in the media about the arm-twisting activities adopted by the Narmada
Bacaho Andolan (NBA) activists to prevent the oustees of the Sardar Sarovar
Project (SSP) from accepting the rehabilitation package offered by the Madhya
Pradesh Government, even her own supporters have begun to turn against Medha
Patkar.
As many as 26 displaced villagers have approached
a Gujarat NGO, which is in the forefront of countering NBA's "misinformation
campaign" and submitted sworn affidavits confessing they were prevented
and persuaded by the NBA not to accept the rehabilitation package offered
by the MP Government.
In their affidavit to the National Council for Civil Liberties, the oustees
have expressed their willingness to accept the compensation package and said
they would not side with the NBA is preventing survey and rehabilitaion work.
"In the past, we had received similar complaints from the oustees, but
this is the first time we have received sworn affidavits on stamp papers.
We are going to refer them to the Rehabilitation Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh,"
NCCL President VK Saxena told the Pioneer.
According to the documents available with the Pioneer, the oustees mainly
belong to the NBA stronghold of Dhar and Badwani districts. The complainants
oustees' are: Genda Singh (Kikarwas village), Aman Singh (Deher), Brajesh,
Kailash, Gopal, Nanabai, Tarabai, Kashiram, Rajendra, Raghu, Daulat Singh,
Gulab Singh, Hari Om ( all from Piplagarhi village), Rameshwar, Nanabai (from
Piplagarhi villages), Ramesh, Om and Prabhu (Nimbola villages), Ram Singh,
Lal Singh and Chandra (Malangao).
Bajesh Singh's affidavit paints a revealing picture of NBA's attempt to scuttle
the rehabilitation work. The 40-year-old villager of Piplagarhi has disclosed
that the NBA activists told him that they would not allow completion of the
SSP and promised him better compensation if he sided with them.
"I came under their influence and we did not allow survey work for finalising
the compensation. Now I want to cooperate with the survey officials and accept
the compensation," Brajesh said in his affidavit, making it clear he
was filing the affidavit without any influence or pressure.
In his affidavit, Genda Singh said the NBA did not allow him to accept compensation
for his 22 bigha of agriculture land, which was going to be submerged after
the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. "We were misled by the NBA.
Now I am willing to accept the compensation," he said.
There was one common theme in nearly all the affidavits: NBA activists misled
and compelled the villagers to reject the MP Government package.
All these affidavits were filed after Medha Patkar sat on an indefinite fast
protesting against the alleged failure of the Madhya Pradesh Government in
carrying out the rehabilitation work. However, the affidavits show that while
on the one hand, Ms Patkar was shedding tears over the plight of the oustees,
on the other hand she was scuttling the State Government's attempts to provide
compensation to the displaced persons.
Incidentally, as reported by the Pioneer, as many 228 FIRs have been filed
against the NBA for assaulting and terrorising Government officials engaged
in carrying out survey and rehabilitation exercise. The affidavits will further
expose Ms Patkar claim to be the voice of the "oustees".
