Another day.
Another village; another area.
Another scale.
But the story is the same.
We never learn.
We never want to.
People against big dams have valid reasons.
Small dams are not a problem, we thought.
But when I visit village Umar Kanchan in Patan block in Satara district (Maharashtra); it is the same story again.
A small dam, of 2.73 TMC (proposed) with 0.60 TMC present capactiy.
4 villages are completely affected by it; 5 partially; in total 1862 families are affected and need to be rehabilitated.
The project started in 2000; and 60% of the families are yet to be rehabilitated. Since 2011, villages - LIVING villages - are getting submerged into water. The crops are destroyed every year and villages get cut off. Protesters are jailed and later have to appear in court regularly. How can rightful and especially peaceful protest can be a crime?
Yesterday, National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM) organized a meeting, in which along with many villages and Andolan volunteers, Medha Patkar addressed the meeting.
After having experience like Sardar Sarovar Project (popularly known as Narmada Dam), I thought Government has learnt right lessons.
Unfortunately, we have not.
We keep on ruining people's lives in the name of Development!
Is it Development?
So many officers and departments working without coordination, apart from the usual problems of corruption and misguided ideas of development?? ..
ReplyDeleteFinally I have found someone we both know, Medha Patkar! When she had come to Italy a few years ago, I had met her a couple of times. :)