60. Fast Indefinite

I hope you have read my earlier post on the same blog - Development?? 

Unfortunately the story continues. 

Four of them (two women and two men) enter into 8^th day of their indefinite fast.

Kamal Mohite,  Balkrishna Patil,  Dilip Kadam, and Suniti S R are fasting along with number of villagers at the gate of Collector Office, Satara (Maharashtra).

 The Wang Marathwadi dam affected people are fighting peacefully for their rights for many years and have recently intensified their fight. What are their demands?

  They seem to be simple and rightful. They are:

1. Rehabilitate in the same area (in the villages that are going to be benefited by the dam)
2. Until the rehabilitation is complete, don’t store water in the dam (which submerges living villages for last 3 years)
3. The loss of crops for last three years should be compensated.
4. Complaints registered again peaceful protesters should be withdrawn. 

As a person who is not at all connected with these villages, I don’t understand what is wrong in these demands and why government has failed to implement its policies regarding rehabilitation.

Even after a week-long fast the energy levels of these four persons is very high; they are actively involved into proceedings. This shows their commitment to the cause.

Today everybody gathered at the fast site too will observe fast. Not only that; today the dam affected villages have decided to observe “Chulha Band” – nobody will cook and nobody will eat except for the patients and young children.

Hope the meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra today is fruitful. I hope that government understands the reality and the rightful demands are met at the earliest.  

58. Development??

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? 

49. Hunger Feast

15 February 2013.
Delhi IIT. 

Panel discussion on: HUNGER AND NUTRITION: TIME TO ACT

The key speaker was:

Yes, Dr. Amartya Sen.

The IIT Conference Hall was overflowing with crowds.

It was interesting to listen to his ideas - about inequality, about development, about food security, about democracy ...

For me itt was a Feast on Hunger!!

23. Return

Sometimes I wonder.
Wonder about past and present.
Wonder about present and future.
I was in Hyderabad.
And came across this.

Was I in the past?
Was it a future prediction?
Taking into consideration exploitation of natural resources, we would return to past in future?
Probably.

16. Subsidy for Mule?

Natadol is a …

Well, by habit I was going to write it is a small village.

But in the hilly area of Almora district in Uttarakhand, a village with 239 households is certainly not a small village.

The road from Almora had many turns and enchanting view. The road seemed good until we approached Natadol, then it changed dramatically.

It is easily about five to six kilometers. The dust makes walking difficult when it rains. On the way, I saw many Apple orchards – so , transport is absolute necessity of this village.

But nothing seems to have been done.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) – a prestigious scheme of Government of India – website mentions Natadol as a ‘Location with no approved Work’ – with many more villages. (Go to http://nrega.nic.in/netnrega/home.aspx, select Uttaranchal (is it the right name of the state?), select Almora district, select Lamgara block, in Alerts, click Locations with no approved work.)

I see a man with a Mule. Mule is the common means of transport.

Interestingly, the man has given a name to this Mule. It is Hira – beautiful, isn’t it? I mean the human touch to the relationship was a good aspect to know.

How much a good Mule costs? As much as Rs. 40000/-

No exaggeration.

In remote areas like Almora; Nano is not required, Mule is; Nano is not useful, Mule is!

The government  subsidizes Tata Nano – would it not be a good idea to subsidize cows, bullocks, horses, mules, donkeys too?
Why not?