The Narmada Bachao Andolan
A Presentation by Aravinda Pillalamarri
Reported by Soma Nag
On Monday, May 17, 1999, the PSU chapter of the Association for
India's Development (AID) hosted a presentation on the Narmada Bachao Andolan
(NBA), by AID Fellow Aravinda Pillalamarri. About 30 participants attended the
presentation, which consisted of the screening of two documentaries - 'Narmada
Diary' and 'I Will Report Honestly', followed by a talk and open forum
discussion. The presentation centered on the tenacious struggle of the NBA
alongside the adivasi and tribal communities in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and
Madhya Pradesh, for the rights of those displaced by the construction of dams
such as the Bargi, Maheshwar, Narmada Sagar, and Sardar Sarovar, as part of
the Narmada Valley Development Project.
The first documentary 'Narmada Diary' by Simantini Dhuru and Anand
Patwardhan, chronicled the agitation against the Sardar Sarovar project (SSP)
(the largest of the dams) over a period of five years in the first part of
this decade. The dam, when completed is expected to drown 37,000 hectares of
fertile land, displace over 200,000 adivasis, and cost up to 400 billion
rupees. Although the SSP has been hailed as "the lifeline of Gujarat" and a
permanent solution to the water problems of Saurashtra and Kutch, the benefits
have been overestimated. For example, the Gujarat government's own data show
that most of the talukas of Saurashtra will not get any water from the SSP.
It also fails to take into account water-logging, salinity, destruction of
forests, destruction of livelihoods such as those of the fisherfolk, among
others. The documentary highlights the non-violent protest of the movement
against the inadequacy of resettlement and rehabilitation programs intended to
compensate project affected persons. One of the landmark achievements of the
NBA and the indigenous peoples, was when the World Bank withdrew funding and
pulled out of the SSP in March 1993. As a result of this, the Gujarat
government solicited private investment e.g. from sugar mills, to fund the
construction of the SSP. This implied the pledging of more benefits from the
SSP, which was bound to exacerbate an already worsening situation. Then in May
1995, the NBA petitioned the Supreme Court of India to order a halt to
construction. The NBA contended that a number of requisite scientific studies
had not been completed, and that the government had failed to resettle oustees
six months prior to the submergence of their land.
However, in February 1999, the Supreme Court permitted the Gujarat
government to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar from 80 meters to 85
meters. This order was passed on the basis that rehabilitation measures were
ready, and that halting construction would be liable to hamper foreign
investment. It took no cognizance whatsoever of the fact that the resettlement
and rehabilitation programs had so far proved to be farcical exercises. Many
families were given land which was uninhabitable or barren. Some were given
forest land which was already occupied, resulting in conflicts.
The second documentary 'I Will Report Honestly', produced by AID
Fellows, Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi Kuchimanchi, focused on the
justification of the Supreme Court decision given that the Maharashtra
government had filed a false affidavit stating that every displaced family had
been given adequate land. It detailed the discussions that Medha Patkar of the
NBA had with the Collector and Deputy Collector, respectively, of Nandurbar
district (location of Manibeli village), regarding flooding and resettlement
measures in view of the Supreme Court sanction. The documentary highlighted
the rampant corruption when it revealed that the Narmada Water Disputes
Tribunal Award was not being met for those already displaced in the district.
At the conclusion of the documentary, we learned that the Deputy Collector who
had promised to truthfully report the grievances of the people to the
appropriate authorities, was ultimately dismissed.
The discussion following these screenings dealt with the issues that
had been raised by the documentaries. These encompassed, for example, the
costs and benefits of the project, the nexus between those funding the project
and its beneficiaries, the struggle of the NBA, the democratic process and the
inclusion of people who are affected by development projects, environmental
movements worldwide, viable alternatives to large dams, and the perspectives
from which development and progress are defined.
The conclusion reached was that the adverse effects of large scale
development projects implemented without any environmental considerations or
without any input from the people whom they uproot, cannot be exaggerated. The
people of the Narmada valley epitomize the movement against such development
projects, through non-violent protest and the resolve to sacrifice their lives
rather than leave their homes. The injustice of the Supreme Court decision
spurred the Manavadhikar Yatra or Human Rights March from the villages of the
Narmada Valley in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, all the way to
Delhi in April.
And so the struggle goes on...
About the speaker : Aravinda Pillalamarri has been associated with AID for
over three years. In that period, she spent a spent a few months teaching
children and adults in a village in Andhra Pradesh. Since then she
continuously increased her involvement even though she was based in places
without much chapter activity. She returned to India in June 1998 and has been
working full-time as an AID Fellow. Some of her achievements include working
with the NBA, creating an entry for AID in a new network of activist groups
viz. the National Alliance of People's Movements, and volunteer efforts in
Mumbai and the village of Kaduchiwadi. In particular, she played an active
role in encouraging the involvement of women in Kaduchiwadi.
About AID: The Association for India's Development (AID) is a non-profit
organization committed to the advancement of poor people in India, through
projects in literacy, health care, family planning, vocational training,
women's empowerment and rural development.
Sources for this report :
- 'Narmada Diary' (1995) by Simantini Dhuru and Anand Patwardhan.
- 'I Will Report Honestly' (1999) by Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi
Kuchimanchi.
- May in AID : The Association for India's Development Monthly Newsletter (May
1999).
- A History Of The Narmada Bachao Andolan / Save The Narmada Movement,
from Silenced Rivers : The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams (1996) by
Patrick McCully.
- The Sardar Sarovar Project - An Overview by India Alert.