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What are current statistics regarding displacements, resettlements, and compensation?
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Medha Patkar
Founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, a movement that opposes the construction of mega-dams on the Narmada River.
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S.K. Mohapatra
Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd, the state corporation charged with building the Sardar Sarovar dam.
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Families remaining in the original villages: 40,000
Families shifted to rehabilitation sites: 9,000
Families affected by catchment area treatment, in the downstream, compensatory afforestation, colony, sanctuary, etc. (the number is in the thousands, but no official assessment has been done to date) are yet to be declared as project-affected and offered the same rehabilitation package as the reservoir-affected.
The rehabilitation sites with house plots and agricultural lands are in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh has paid cash compensation, violating policies for a few thousand people. They, too, are not in favor of moving unless the entitlement deeds are not given.
Maharashtra is to revise its record of affected population, while Madhya Pradesh is not. The Official Task Force of the Government of Maharashtra (composed jointly of government officials and the Narmada Bachao Andolan) conducted a survey involving the Gram Sabhas (village body) and concluded that the number of families still in the villages is more than double the government statistics. As per the Task Force, 2,900 families in the villages and at least 1,500 are sure to fall into the major sons [family sons over the age of 18 -- ed.] age criteria.
Madhya Pradesh's final figure has yet to be ascertained, as there is no task force. But the government accepted that 22 years after the Tribunal Award, the submergence area has increased by 13 percent (2,703 hectares) [5,000 acres] and 2,500 families additionally will be affected. But thousands beyond this have to be enlisted as major sons.
In Gujarat, thousands of complaints regarding bad land or no land at the rehabilitation sites are still to be resolved. What has happened so far is relocation and not rehabilitation.
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There are about 41,000 families affected by the dam who are to be resettled in three states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. (The figures are vastly exaggerated by anti-dam groups.) About half of them have already been resettled. It may be mentioned that all the families affected by the height of the dam so far reached have already been resettled. As far as compensation is concerned, the Narmada Award lays down the minimum compensation based on a principle of "land for land" besides housing plot, cash assistance, transportation, and common amenities like school and dispensaries. But all the states have their own policies which give more than the above. In Gujarat, every ousted family, whether from Gujarat or from any other state, gets at least five acres of land (even if he is landless) along with a housing plot of 540 square feet and cash assistance of 45,000 rupees [about $983 - ed.]. This is over and above compensation paid for properties lost due to the project. The resettlement villages, which they choose by option, are provided with roads, street lights, schools, dispensaries, common grazing land, drinking water supply, and play facilities for children. For details please visit: http://www.ncaindia.org/rnr_prov.htm.
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The views expressed in this debate are solely those of the participants.
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