Indore: 48K families yet to get compensation, says Medha Patkar

Narmada Bachao Andolan activists, who are planning a Narmada Sangharsh Yatra in Delhi on December 2, halted for a brief while in Indore en-route to Delhi.

Narmada Bachao Andolan activists, who are planning a Narmada Sangharsh Yatra in Delhi on December 2 to highlight the alleged suffering of the people of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat due to the displacement by the Sardar Sarovar project and endemic corruption in the project, halted for a brief while in Indore en-route to Delhi.

Narmada-Bachao-Aandolan-leader-Medha-Patkar-along-with-activists-stages-a-demonstration-at-Regal-Square-in-Indore-on-Saturday-Arun-Mondhe-HT-photo

The activists, led by their leader Medha Patkar, held a demonstration at the Regal Square where they shouted slogans against the dam. They said all work on the Sardar Sarovar and other dams should be stopped as it is detrimental to the interests of the farmers and tribals of the region and only benefitting the industrialists.

Talking to the media, Patkar alleged that even now there were 48,000 families staying in land that is going to come under submergence and they have not been compensated. Even in the name of compensation, farmers have been given rocky land, or land that has been encroached upon and in some cases the land only exists on paper.

She alleged that there has been massive corruption to the tune of over `1000 crores in distribution of compensation, but the entire area was being submerged as part of a conspiracy to end all evidence before the SS Jha Commission completes its report.