Thousands of villagers affected by the Maheshwar dam took out a protest march at Mandleshwar in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday to express their anger against the State government and the UPA government at the Centre for allowing the filling of Maheshwar dam up to 154 meters without ensuring rehabilitation of the affected population.
The Narmada Bachao Andolan, which spearheaded Sunday’s protest-march has accused government of India and the state government of concealing the submergence of the houses and lands of affected villages caused by the “illegal closure” of the gates of the dam by the private dam builders Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited on August 27 last year. The dam oustees and NBA have demanded that the ministry of environment and forest should immediately withdraw the order which permits the S.Kumars company to close the gates of the dam. They also issued the ultimatum that if the MoEF refuses to wi-thdraw the order, the people would observe “Jal Sat-yagrah” and not leave their lands without proper rehabilitation and resettlement. Alok Agarwal, senior activist of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and leader of the movement in the area, stated that it is shocking that the ministry of environment and forests has permitted the S.Kumars to close the gates.