The condition of the Maan dam fasters in Narmada, entering their 28th day
without food, is now extremely serious indeed. As of the 26th day (see
articles below) three of the four had begun vomiting and Ramkuvar, the 22
year old tribal girl, is literally dying. Even if a resolution is found,
they may still suffer permanent invalidity as a result of such a lengthy
fast. Negotiations with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh have now broken
down as he has refused to reach any acceptable compromise over resettlement
of Maan Dam oustees. The hunger strikers are on fast because villages have
begun to be submerged by the Maan Dam (on a tributary of the Narmada River)
yet the displaced have still not been given any land to relocate to. PLEASE
telephone or fax (or email - but tel/fax are preferable as less easy to
ignore) Digvijay Singh, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh TODAY. Even a
short note expressing your concern for the fasters and urging him to take
action rapidly to ensure resettlement for Man Dam oustees will be useful,
mentioning the country you live in and the institution you are attached to
if any. Please also forward this email to everyone you know likely to be
sympathetic. The lives of the fasters are now in extreme danger - please
contact the Chief Minister today (contact details below), as tommorrow may
very well be too late. More info at www.narmada.org

Shri Digvijay Singh, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh:
Fax (India code from UK included): 0091 755-551781 / 540501
Phone (India code incl.): 0091 755 - 540361 / 661502 /3 / 4
Mobile (India code incl.): 0091 9826062477
Email:  cm@mpchiefminister.com

Also telephone: Sonia Gandhi (India code incl.): 0091 11 - 3014481 / 3012656

> Narmada Bachao Andolan
> 15 June 2002
> Press note
>
> Ramkuvar Sinking: Health of Others Critically Deteriorating:
> Government Backed Off From its Own Proposal for Independent Committee:
> Police Encircles Submergence Villages
>
> As the health of the four fasting activists is critically deteriorating,
and as huge police consignment started taking position in villages under the
threat of submergence, especially Khedi, the first village to be affected by
the Maan Dam, the government is backing off from all the efforts to find an
immediate and mutually agreed solution.
>
> Entering the 26th day of the indefinite fast, the condition of Chittaroopa
Palit, Ramkuvar, Vinod Patwa and Mangat Verma has further deteriorated. The
most precarious Ramkuvar, the tribal girl from Khedi village, having high
acetone level, is sinking since late last night. She is vomiting, is
shivering and is feverish. Chittaroopa Palit and Vinod Patwa too have high
acetone levels and are vomiting since last evening. Mangat Verma is weaker
and frailer. Nevertheless, all of them stand undeterred in their commitment
and resolve to take the non-violent struggle to a logical end. The fast
continues.
>
> A process to find an amicable solution to the issue, and to end the
agitation and fast reached a dead end at 12.30 am today (15.6.2002) when the
Chief Minister, Mr.Digvijay Singh outrightly rejected to do anything on the
issue. Earlier a messenger from the Chief Minister was in touch with the
agitators since 13th night in the jail, and was negotiating. NBA took
cognizance of the point raised by the government messenger that since there
are two diametrically opposite views about the state of rehabilitation
(while NBA says that the rehabilitation is not done according to the policy,
government is saying that the policy has been followed) one should
independently assess the ground reality. NBA, after deliberations, agreed to
the suggestion by the government that a committee can be formed under the
chairmanship of eminent jurist Jst (Retd) P.B.Samant (former Chairperson,
Press Council of India). The committee was to look into the issues in 7 days
time and give its directions, wh!
> ich will be implemented in a time bound manner.
>
> The Chief Minister late in the night shamelessly backed out of this
proposal and conveyed that he will not budge from his stand. Why is Digvijay
Singh afraid of an independent enquiry? Is it because that his claims about
the rehabilitation of Maan oustees will be exposed? NBA challenges the
government to prove the claims regarding rehabilitation of the Maan dam
affected through an independent assessment.
>
> Hundreds of police have entered the Maan dam affected villages to
intimidate and use force to dismantle houses and empty the village. The
valley witnessing heavy rains and the water is slowly rising. However, the
people are determined to face the submergence and prevent the police from
the farce of saving them by arresting and putting them behind bars.
>
> Yesterday evening all the agitators who were arrested on 13th afternoon
were unconditionally released. The dharna is continuing at the same place,
with renewed vigor.
>
> Many people's organisations from Madhya Pradesh and other places have
expressed unconditional support to the agitation here. In a statement
released to the press today at Bhopal, Kisan Adivasi Sangathan, Shramik
Adivasi Sangathan, Jagrut Dalit Adiavsi Sangathan, Ekta Parishad, Adivasi
Mukti Sangathan, Bhopal Gas Pidit Mahila Udyog Sangathan and others said
that the image of the pro-people, pro-environment, pro-dalit tribal Chief
Minister is fully exposed. They declared that they will tour through the
state and will politically drain him out.
>
> Respected social activist from Maharashtra, Baba Adhav has asked the Chief
Minister to immediately look into the issue of rehabilitation of the dam
oustees. Noted Gandhians Thakudas Bang and Kumar Prashant and others too
have expressed their concern about the state of rehabilitation and the
condition of the 4 fasting activists.
>
>
> Joe Athialy
> Alok Agarwal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2002 6:50 PM
Subject: [NBA] Digvijay Singh's Letter & Arundhati Roy's Reply


> DIGVIJAY SINGH
> Government of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
> BHOPAL - 462004
>
> Camp: M.P. Bhavan, New Delhi
>
> No. 2??/MPC/CM/2002
>
> June 13, 2002
>
> Dear Arundhatiji,
>
> I am in receipt of the appeal issued by the Delhi Support Group NBA about
the settlement of tribals displaced by the construction of the Man dam. I
also read with interest your article published in the Hindustan Times,
Bhopal. As always your prose and your ability to succinctly analyze the
situation is outstanding. I am aware that a group of oustees of the Man dam
are sitting in dharna at Bhopal and if you will bear with me I would like to
bring some facts to your notice.
>
> Man dam, which is being constructed on Man tributary of Narmada in Dhar
district. It has been completed upto the crust level and will therefore fill
up during the rainy season, submerging about eight hundred hectare of land.
About 993 families will be affected by the parlial submergence. Out of these
448 families are eligible for allotment of agricultural land. Only those
families, which are losing 25 percent or more land, are eligible for
allotment of alternative land. According to the policy of the Govt. of
Madhya Pradesh, such persons can either opt for the allotment of alternative
land in lieu of the submerged land or accept full compensation in cash.
There is a provision in the policy that in case of persons belonging to
scheduled tribes, the Collector of the district should make inquiries to
ensure that the oustee is not being compelled or influenced by anyone to
accept full compensation in cash. This due process was follow when
compensation in cash for purchasing land!
> . In fact, 121 oustees have given exemption from paying stamp duty on the
registration of land. I would request you to accept the Govt. policy which
does not allow the State Govt. to purchase land and give it to the tribals.
>
> I would also like ot inform you that we have recently introduced a
liberalized compensation package in which the amount of compensation for the
land has nearly been increased by three times compared to the compensation
offered earlier. For your information I would like to give the main rate
alongwith the additional rates sanctioned in both Gandhvani and Dhar
tehsils.
>
> Tehsil Kind of Land Main rate Additional rates Total
>
> (per hectare) (per hectare) (per ha)
>
> Gandhvani Unirrigated Rs. 23,000/- Rs. 61,000/- Rs. 84,000/-
>
> Irrigated Rs. 34,000/- Rs.1, 26,000/- Rs.1, 60,000/-
>
> Dhar Unirrigated Rs. 39,000/- Rs. 68,000/- Rs.1, 07,000/-
>
> Irrigated Rs. 58,000/- Rs.1, 54,000/- Rs.2, 12,000/-
>
> So far compensation under this package amounting to Rs. 1.00 crore has
been disbursed to 54 families. Some of the oustees have expressed their
interest in purchasing land in which local administration is giving them
full support and cooperation. I have asked the Collector of Dhar district to
review all the cases in which compensation was paid in cash in order to see
whether due process was followed at the time of giving compensation. The
Govt. has also set up a Grievance Redressal Agency to listen to the
grievances of oustees and pass appropriate orders for their redressal. I
would urge you to represent your grievance before this Agency.
>
> You, alongwith the activists of Narmada Bachao Andolan, have been
protesting against the felling of the trees and demolition of the Govt.
buildings in the area, which will come under submergence. It is necessary to
remove the trees for which compensation has already been paid so that the
timber can be usued elsewhere and also to ensure that fishermen's boats are
not entangled in the trees when the reservoir is filled up. The materials
from the public buildings like door and window frame etc. is also used
elsewhere. I am sure you will agree with the logic of the action required to
be taken in this case.
>
> I have appealed to the agitators to maintain peace and not to resort to
agitation, which would harm the interests of the tribal population. I also
take this opportunity to personally appeal to you to understand the Govt's.
stand and help us to de-escalate tension in the region. I hope my clarifying
the above given facts will urge you to see our point of view. I look forward
to meeting you.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> (Digvijay Singh)
>
> ----------
>
> LETTER TO DIGVIJAY SINGH FROM ARUNDHATI ROY
>
> Fax Number: 0755 - 540501
>
> To, The Chief Minister
> Government of Madhya Pradesh
> Bhopal 462004
>
> June 15th 2002
>
> Dear Mr Digvijay Singh
>
> Thank you for your letter. I am a little puzzled and embarrassed that you
chose to write to me and not to those who have been petitioning you for your
attention for the past 25 days. Today is the 26th day of the hunger fast of
the four NBA activists demanding rehabilitation for those who are being
displaced by the Maan dam. Two days ago you tried to arrest them. They
escaped and are now underground. This correspondence takes place in the
shadow of their death or permanent debilitation.
>
> First, I would like to clarify in no uncertain terms that I am not a
member of the NBA. I do not represent the Andolan, I cannot and do not wish
to negotiate on its behalf. I am merely someone who has taken the trouble
to find out what is actually happening on the ground (as opposed to on
paper) in the Narmada Valley. And frankly, the more I learn, the more
appalled I am.
>
> The facts in your letter are incorrect and misleading. I have passed your
letter on to Dr Nandini Sundar who was a member of the Tribunal headed by
Justice G.G. Loney which published a report on the Maan project. I'm
enclosing her point by point reply. Further to what I have already written,
I have only a few general points to make.
>
> You say it is not government policy to buy land and 'allot' it to adivasi
people. But this is not true. Under Section 3.2 (a) and (b) in the MP
rehabilitation Policy for the Narmada valley, it is exactly what the
government is supposed to do.
>
> Your letter suggests that everything is as it should be that the
government has dealt fairly and generously with the people who are to be
displaced. This is not the case. I have traveled to the Maan villages. I
have spoken to people. I was told about the outrageous manner in which cash
compensation was distributed. It is illegal even according to your own
policy to distribute cash compensation like this. It is simply not true that
people were given the choice between land for land and cash. Most people
said they were made to feel that they could take cash (I wouldn't go so far
as to call it 'compensation') or get nothing at all. Many said they took
cash because they were threatened with legal action and forced eviction.
Many others did so for the simple reason that they were not aware of their
rights - the Narmada Bachao Andolan was not active in the area at the time.
The stark fact is that displaced people cannot buy land with the special
rehabilitation grant !
> given by the government because land is too expensive. It is the
government's responsibility to make up the difference between the value of
the land to be purchased and the cash that was illegally distributed. The
people, now aware of their entitlement, have offered to return every paisa
they have received from the government, in return for land. Their demands,
like the demands of the hundreds of thousands of others, have been ignored.
Paltry cash 'compensation' to subsistence farmers, most of whom are already
neck deep in debt to money lenders, is only a short detour on the road to
destitution and penury. We all know that. Now your government has bulldozed
buildings, destroyed handpumps in an effort to forcibly evict people from
their homes. This was the immediate provocation for the NBA's indefinite
hunger fast. Even now there appears to be no accurate account of how many
families will be affected. In the light of all this, your government's
much-publicized Da!
> lit Agenda - like its rehabilitation policy for displaced people- is just
a meaningless piece of paper. Hundreds of thousands of Dalits and Adivasis
have been and will continue to be displaced without rehabilitation by the
29 dams (in various stages of completion) that you have planned on the
Narmada.
>
> To respect the human rights of the 'oustees' of one dam would put your
government in the untenable position of having set a precedent for
respecting human rights for the rest. And this, I can imagine is not a moral
problem so much as a logistical one. Your government has to choose between
implementing its policies and protecting human rights. Obviously, it has
chosen to proceed with its elaborate project of social engineering, banking
on the fact that public opinion will, as it always does, sink into the
bewildering swamp that stretches between what governments say and what they
do. In effect, the fragile communities of Dalits and adivasis which your
'Bhopal Document' claims to protect, are being systematically, mercilessly
crushed.
>
> Unfortunately, we are driven to have this public conversation under
terrifying circumstances, when every hour and every day pushes those on fast
into a more critical stage. And lest you misunderstand, let me say that
while I do not support or encourage the idea of a 22year old adivasi girl
starving herself to death to make her voice heard, I completely understand
the urgency of her situation and am at a loss for words when she says to me
'What else can I do?'
>
> I'd like to point her question to you - what else can she do? What else
can she do when she and her community stand to lose everything they ever
had? When I spoke to Ram Kuar, I thought I should tell her that even if she
didn't die, to go so long without food might make her an invalid for life.
She replied ,'the government is stealing all our future meals away from all
of us. If I stop eating now, perhaps we will be heard. Perhaps the rest of
us will be saved.'
>
> The simple fact is that if there was no problem, why would the people be
so agitated? Why on earth would young Ram Kuar be risking her life to
demand justice? There can be no greater insult to someone who is doing that
than suggesting they are doing it for some base motive or for no real
reason. In your letter you say that 'government buildings' are being
demolished so that door and window frames are re-cycled and used elsewhere.
You say nothing about forcibly sealing hand pumps and destroying water
sources, exposing people and cattle to unbearable thirst at the height of
summer. Unfortunately, people cannot be re-cycled like door and window
frames. Finally, in what is perhaps the most disturbing part of your
letter, you suggest that adivasi people on a fast unto death, demanding
their rights to life, to livelihood, to water are 'harming the interests of
the tribal community'. What could you possibly mean by that?
>
> It really saddens me to have to write this letter to you. Truly. Because
you're a good Chief Minister on paper can you not match that with some
real re-thinking, some real action on the ground?
>
> Arundhati Roy