Madhya Pradesh govt to listen to oustees of the Omkareshwar dam project

June 2, 2013

The MP government has decided to hear out the issues of the oustees of the Omkareshwar dam project who have been protesting standing in waist to neck-deep water, for the last two weeks as part of their jal satyagraha.
Why this protest?
The jal satyagraha was started by the oustees in May 2013 to at Ghogalgaon village in M.P.’s East Nimaar region to protest against the state government’s decision to raise the water level in the dam to 193 metres from 189 without ensuring prior relief and rehabilitation, including land for land, to the oustees.
As per State’s official release, some affected families, having already received monetary compensation in lieu of land, have been misled into demanding land for land and have not moved from the dam site. But as per court orders, only those displaced families who have not received any compensation money from the banks are eligible for land in lieu of land and those protesting should keep that in mind before assessing the validity of their movement.
The Omkareshwar Project:
The 520 MW Omkareshwar project is one of the several big dams in the Narmada Valley, built by the Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation, a joint venture between NHPC Ltd and the government of Madhya Pradesh.