In this issue:-
Maharashtra Irrigation scam: - the big names involved Gabriele Dietrich on Gender Violence
Volume 1, 1, Issue 2 2 Volume Issue 1st 1stMay May2013 2013
Movement Profile: Parayavaran Suraksha Samiti
MAHARASTRA IRRIGATION SCAM More Evidence of Top Leadership Involvement
FootPrints
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS
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jit Pawar was forced to resign from the post of Deputy Chief Minister in wake of the unfolding irrigation scam. In his tenure as Irrigation Minister within a span of seven months in 2009, the cost of 38 irrigation projects under the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) escalated from Rs. 6,672.27 crore to Rs.26,722.33 crore - a whopping Rs.20,050.06 crore! Thirty irrigation projects were granted approvals in just four days — August 14, 2009 (11 projects); June 24, 2009 (10 projects); July 7, 2009 (5 projects); and August 18, 2009 (4 projects). The cost of these projects went up by six times the original cost to 33 times with the revised administrative approval granted by the VIDC. In the case of 12 projects, the cost shot up by more than twice the original estimates.
boat. Even today, masses continue to suffer, sacrifice and surrender to all those who fool and loot them in the name of development, economic growth and politics of progress. Gosi Khurd Irrigation Project and Mahalakshmi Infra Projects Limited Last year, when the irrigation scam came out, Gosi Khurd was one of the projects listed. We have now gathered fresh set of tax papers which clearly show payment of 'speed money' to powerful politicians. Income Tax Assessment of Mahalakshmi Infra projects Limited show Rs 200 crores “investment” by the company in Ghodziri Branch canal of Gosikhurd – Right Bank Main Canal, in Tembhu project, Western Maharashtra; and one more ‘untitled’ project. Mahalakshmi Infra projects Limited (MIL, earlier known as Mahalakshmi Construction Company Ltd -MCCL) was investigated by the income tax department in 2011. The director’s and other company officials’
Still the white paper produced after an enquiry constituted by the Government of Maharashtra gave him a virtually clean chit, and he’s again back in his chair. However, the taint will not leave and more evidence keeps surfacing, of not only his involvement but top lead- Inside this issue: ership of other parties as well, inPolicy Watch: Street Vendors Bill cluding those in opposition. Former Prime Minister (late) Rajiv Gandhi Aggravated Patriarchal Violence Unhad talked about the percentage der Neoliberal Globalisation syndrome, doling out ‘money’ to Movement Profile: Parayavaran the authorities and power holders Suraskha Samiti for garnering contracts and licenses, however, nothing seems to Protest Updates have changed even when his party in name of doing away with the Editorial license raj has taken the reform
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Bhat who ultimately admitted, and so did the Chairman and Managing Director of MIL, Mr. Ravindra D Shinde that those payments ranging from 1 lakh to crores to each of the persons named by initials or short forms, with designations or nick The assessment order brought out un- names, were indeed made during the pequestionable truth and facts with details of riod of 2/3 years until the raid on 23th ‘Speed Money’ - all illegal, unjustifiable ex- September 2009 and thereafter. penses incurred by the company to be In just one branch canal project, with an categorized as payments non-permissible estimated cost of 287 crores, ‘Dada’, also under law, and not for the purpose of the business. It also meant false statement of named as A.P. in certain seized pages, with Income tax, under the law and thus a ma- amounts and details such as dates tallying with each other, took the largest of the jor loot of the state exchequer. share, Rs. 27,50,00,000/- i.e. 10% of the total project estimate – the ‘normal’ rate for ‘speed money’ popularly known and taken Details of money paid as indispensable ! This amount was shared Assessment report based on documents, 50—50 by the two partner firms, one the diary and pa- Assessor, MIL and its IT Venture Partner, pers seized M/s B. T. Patil and Sons Belgaum Confrom the struction Company Ltd. There is also menresidences of tion of ‘AB’ who invested a part of the first Nitin Gadkari and its Director, year’s (2006-07) unexplained Business ExGopinath Munde were also penses of 200 lakhs i.e. 2 crores, divided paid about Rs 50 Lakh and D h i r e n d r a into 50% as assistance to and for each of Anant Bhat, the JV Partner firms! Rs 20 Lakh respectively. show fine Officials of MoEF – details of Nitin Gadkari and Gopinath Munde were money paid also paid about Rs 50 Lakh and Rs 20 Ministry of Environment during the Lakh respectively. Officials of MoEF – Minand Forest, Darda family p r e - istry of Environment and Forest as well as also seem to have t e n d e r i n g Darda family also seem to have received their share. The analysis of the tax papers process for received their share. indicate that the 'percent' almost fixed and garnering the estimated since the beginning, escalating contracts. the project cost by atleast the same amount was “well-planned”. The delays, irrespective of ‘speed money’ obviously are Some of the beneficiaries are Deputy a part of the game that “get, set and go”, Minister Mr. Ajit Pawar, Former BJP Presi- only when the shares are obtained. And dent Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Gopinath Munde, further official escalation in the cost also Sunil Deshmukh, MLA, Mr. Vijay Vadetti- then becomes a demand. war and their associates. Gosikhurd Dam project's, Left bank caDocuments seized from Bhatt also in- nal has became a mess with Nitesh Bhanclude details of money paid to the technical gadia, present MLC, BJP, another politiexperts and officials in the Irrigation De- cian contractor getting his due score while partment, Vidarbha Irrigation Development Ghodziri branch with the above Corporation and Krishna Valley Develop- ‘entanglements’ is still far from complete, ment Corporation. Details of ‘payments’ with water yet to reach Asolamendha tank, worth 43.85 crores were obtained from D A the old tank of 1940’s yet to be expanded, offices and residences were raided and an assessment report was prepared with order filed by the Deputy Commissioner, Income tax, Central Circle, Kolhapur on 27th December 2011.
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11 more villages planned to be submerged for the same and irrigation benefits yet not obtained due to “lack of funds” for the minor network!
(ITAT) taking months if not years and there is no money for maintaining agency to ‘speed’ the investigation. Meanwhile, Mahalakshmi Infra projects continue to progress and be involved in implementing The CAG report, Maharashtra (civil), projects. 31.3.2011 brings out the story of Ghodziri. The report of the Deputy Commissioner also refers to the Tembhu Large Lift DiverNeed for a committee of Enquiry sion Project, started in 1999 but lying behind by years, even then the oustees of Can the same Madhav Chitale Committee Wang - Marathwadi and other related pro- (former chair of many other committees) jects are being drowned and displaced, have the courage, and commitment to insince years in the name of water for vestigate not only Ghodziri, Tembhu, Tembhu! Koyna (another mentioned in the same order of 27-12-2011) but all and every waterA reading of the detailed note on Tembhu seized during the raid show that irrigation project during last 5 to 10 years at least? With those on the opposite the same MIL has tendered, cost of the material to be supplied for the project in- benches uniting to gain, this is not likely. creased by 60% of the real market cost. This increase, shown as “overheads” amount to 26.7% of the cost, that comes to about 105 crores, admitted by the Director Mr. Bhat specially entrusted with ‘operation distribution’ to get contracts, get bills sanctioned, to obtain other clearances and keep all, even the each others’ opponents, happy. One more project details, without identification are found to indicate that 14.5% of the total 633 crores, bill sanctioned, i.e. 92 crores are kept for doling out over and above the official / legitimate profit. Inaction It’s obvious that this Assessment order could be sufficient to take action against the Assessed, and Receivers too could be tried under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for receipt of ‘pecuniary advantage’. However, the Judicial Authority of Commissioner – IT - investigation was approached by the assessor and assessment order gave a partially clean chit! The Appellate report too, however, does not deny the expenditure as ‘speed money’ which would be an adequate basis to act. Who will bell the cat, may we ask ? The matter is still with the IT - Appellate Tribunal, Pune
We, as NAPM, while continuing to search details into the Water Can the same Madhav Scam feel Chitale Committee (have ashamed of the courage, and not only the v u l g a r commitment to remarks but investigate all and every more imwater-irrigation project moral, criminal acts of during last 5 to 10 years corruption – at least? misusing and mismanaging public money and resources including water, when we are faced with the worst drought in decades. We demand and assert a need to appoint an impartial, independent Commission of Enquiry under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, chaired by a judge with integrity and honesty. The TOR for the commission must include : investigation into all projects - small and large: dam, canal or lifts by calling for all data, documents, files, summoning anyone concerned including ministers and Chief Minister and relying
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special Investigation Team (SIT) but also as Directorate of Enforcement, ACB, EOW, assisted by state and central agencies such CVC and IT dept.
POLICY WATCH: Street Vendors Bill
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ich and poor coexist in today’s cities. We need to address the needs of both, for inclusive planning,” said Mr. Maken at a press conference in January 2013, on the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill. The Bill aims at regularising street vending by establishing a body, the Town Vending Committee(TVC), responsible for issuing licences, certificates to hawkers, demarcating vending zones and relocating vendors if and when necessary. . On zone demarcations Mr. Maken stated that once the Bill is passed It is expected that they [local bodies] will do it in a minimum period of time. “During that period, the Some key local authoriamendments...lower the ties or police minimum age to 14 years, cannot take a c t i o n raise the share of a g a i n s t hawkers union hawkers,” he representatives in the said. Town Vending Committee to 40%.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in September 2012 with the Standing Committee headed by Sharad Yadav submitting its amendments later. Some key amendments referred by the Committee were to lower the minimum age to 14 years and raising the share of hawkers union representatives in the Town Vending Committee to 40%. NGOs will comprise 10% and the remaining 50% will include bureaucrats, civic officials, police and other authorities. Another important amendment is that the number of hawkers allowed in a city will be 2.5% of the total population.
Medha Patkar, on behalf of NAPM, sent her comments on the Street Vendors Bill to the Standing Committee. She said that the primary objective should be to create an enabling environment for vending activities in an orderly fashion, regulating and curtailing the business should be secondary. Hawkers provide a market for the poor, with minimum investment and low profits. The government should facilitate the Vending Activities by providing not only land but other such minimum amenities for them and ensure that their sources and places of seeking livelihood is associated with their residential areas. Some of the recommendations made are:1. Provisions for vending zones should be an integral part of city or municipal development Plans or Town Master Plans at the initial stages itself. 2. The Vending Fee prescribed should be minimal and commensurate to the scale of business, type of business and should be minimal and not exceeding one day’s income 3. In case a vendor is found to be involved in the vending activity without obtaining proper registration, the local authority should issue a temporary certificate valid for a specified period of time to enable the vendor to obtain permanent registration certificate. 4. In case of violation of policy and rules the vendor must be given a fair and proper hearing. He should be free to choose anyone to represent his case. An investigation into the offense must be made and any charge should be leading to the limited penalty unless it is exceptionally harmful violation causing loss or damage to the public property or exchequer 5. In case of relocation proposed by the Town Vending Committee, the process
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should be transparent and the vendors consent should be obtained for such proposal. 6. The street vendor who has to be relocated or evicted by the local authority from the site allotted to him should be given a minimum of 90 days notice instead of proposed 7 days notice. This is the minimum notice period granted to any employed person in case of relocation.
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7. Housing Rights: The vendor should also be allotted house plots or their bending zones within a range of 3-5 Kms. This will save a considerable amount of travel time with all their goods everyday. Housing Rights as mandated in the Rajeev Awas Yojana should also be made available to the street vendors.
Aggravated Patriarchal Violence Under Neoliberal Globalisation Gabriele Dietrich
O
ne of the things which rattled the Indian Government recently is the fact that some Western countries have issued travel advisories describing India as unsafe for female tourists. This can affect the tourism industry and this is where “damage” is perceived. The tourist inflow has dropped by 25% compared to last year and the number of female tourists has dropped by 35%. This is where it hurts. The fact that newspapers are bursting with rape cases involving young girl children of two, five, seven, ten, thirteen, fifteen years, often gang raped, mutilated, murdered, has triggered outrage among the affected population, but the readiness of the police to file FIRs and arrest the culprits is scandalously lagging behind, to put it mildly. The affected families may be offered bribes to drop the case or they will be bullied into submission. If one follows the Dalit Media Watch, it is obvious that the rapes of Dalit women and children are of disproportionally high number and that the families often lose their means of survival or even commit suicide in the effort to attain justice. It is a sad period in the life of our country, where the outrage over the Delhi gang rape of 16th December 2012 had triggered the protest of tens of thousands of demonstrators despite section144 being in force, but the imagination often did not run any further than the demand for the death penalty, a demand vehemently rejected by
women's movements. The recent death of Justice Verma, former head of the Supreme Court, under whose leadership a commission of three dedicated jurists processed 80000 submissions and condensed them into a report of 850 pages within one month, has left many of us with a treA recent report on the m e n d o u s conditions in juvenile sense of loss. The govern- homes in the country has ment ordicharacterised them as nance signed in its sequel “hell holes” with rampant sexual abuse of female was only a pale shadow as well as male of what would youngsters. have been required and possible. A recent report on the conditions in juvenile homes in the country has characterised them as “hell holes” with rampant sexual abuse of female as well as male youngsters. A team of UN women is at present visiting the country to highlight the deteriorating situation. The declining juvenile sex ratio is another expression of the rampant son preference and girl rejection, converted into the lucrative illegal business of sex selective abortions and clandestine old fashioned but pervasive infanticide. Abundant research has shown that this is very
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directly related to the on going extraction of dowry and ritual gifts at festive occasions, clearly a form of on going original accumulation of capital by means of plunder and coercion, extracted by routine violence, which is taken for granted as being part of the family system. The affected women are willing to abort the female foetus or to commit infanticide in order to alleviate the violence visited on them and to “save their daughters from this kind of suffering.” The message is that females are a misfortune best to be avoided and easily to be disposed of. Very absurdly, it is often not recognised that the way Motherhood is projected as a woman’s destiny is very much at the root of proliferation of patriarchy. The “rape of the Motherland” is the primeval idiom of Hindutva for depicting minority communities as “the other” and to d e m o n is e The way Motherhood is neighbouring projected as a woman’s nations. destiny is very much at It is signifithe root of proliferation cant in this of patriarchy. context to perceive that women’s organisations, Dalit movements and unions in the unorganised sector, supported by NAPM, held a massive rally in Villipiram in Tamil Nadu on March 30th, 2013 in commemoration of International Working Women’s Day. (In Tamil Nadu, as in many other parts of the country, March 8th, International Women's Day, takes place during the whole month of March.) This mobilisation had a very significant perspective. The focus was on the one hand to highlight the enormous violence unleashed by a backward caste dominated political party on five villages in Dharmapuri District in November 2012 inflicting material loss on the Dalit population,
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in retaliation for intercaste marriages, which were an expression of the Dalit progress in education and more work opportunities in some urban places. In this context, the demand of the rally was for the freedom to break caste by inter-marriage in the spirit of Dr. Ambedkar's abolition of caste. At the same time, the gathering registered a vehement protest against the violation of Tamil women in Sri Lanka by the Sinhala army, which not only forces women into prostitution and helps the appropriation of Tamil lands in the North Eastern parts by outsiders, but even enforces a form of racist colonisation, which decimates the Tamil population further. The protest connected the critique of caste and patriarchy in connection with the coercive forces of the State and of militarisation. We can also draw parallels with the protracted struggle against AFSPA in North East India and in Kashmir. In all these places, the coercive forces of the State are enforcing ruthless policies of “development” through extraction of mineral resources, destruction of forests and self - reliant agriculture, neglect of food security, privatisation and overuse of water. The rape of women and the rape of the forces of nature seem to run parallel. Modern capitalist patriarchy allies with fundamentalist forces in this venture. We need to turn the tide and change this ruthless mode of extraction (it is not even “production”, just plunder). We have to show that rampant violence and murders are not the last word. The uprisings for a life of dignity and non-violence will continue. We owe this to the future generations, who need a liveable world. Gabriele Dietrich is the National Convener of NAPM based in Madurai and can be reached at reach.gaberiele@gmail.com
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MOVEMENT PROFILES: PARYAVARAN SURAKSHA SAMITI, GUJARAT PSS and its struggle towards preventing another Bhopal Tragedy Michael Mazgaonkar
ujarat advertises itself as the fastest growing state in the country but little does it mention the costs involved. The entire industrial spread in Gujarat is severely polluted and yet the Gujarat Pollution Control Board continually allows new companies to set up units here. There are over 50 industrial estates in the Golden corridor from Ahmedabad through Nandesari, Ankleshwar and Vapi, housing many chemical estates, hazardous industries that have been phased out of Europe and US and dumped into India. The ground water in each of these areas is excessively polluted, mercury levels are shockingly high, rivers spew effluents while plants and vegetables show high levels of heavy metals. Government monitoring is as good as absent. Many environmental organizations believe that Gujarat is sitting on a chemical time bomb that could go off any day.
G
Battles fought
The Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, (PSS) is an environmental organization that was set up in 2000 to combat this disaster waiting to happen. It has conducted numerous surveys and observed that people living inside the industrial estates and surrounding villages cope with extreme amounts of air, water and soil pollution as well as bad health infrastructure. Monitoring and regulation by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) is practically non-existent and availability of information about the pollution or its health effects on the residents is scarce. Whatever bit of information exists isn’t shared with the affected communities. PSS works with marginalized communities affected by such industrial pollution, working proactively, organizing protests and meetings with the government to create awareness and force the government to take action to reduce the toxic pollution.
Ankleshwar, occasions was more along with polluted than the inlet Vapi is a pollufrom factories! tion hot-spot and would rank among the dirtier places in the world. A CPCB report regarding the central effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Vapi showed that the treated outlet water on certain occasions was more polluted than the inlet from factories!
More than a lakh of people living in Ankleshwar are exposed to polluted ground water which has mercury levels well above the WHO standards. Hazardous solid wastes are routinely dumped from its industrial estates into lands surrounding the estates. Amla khadi (a rivulet flowing through the industrial estate) in Ankleshwar carries extremely toxic, often acidic, dark brown or black effluents around the year, while Bil Khadi of Vapi carries dark red acidic effluents all through the year making its water level contain mercury more than 96 times the WHO levels. The foul smell from Ankleshwar A CPCB report can be felt up to a distance showed that treated of 30 km. outlet water on certain
In the 200 km stretch between Sarigam (South Gujarat) and Baroda (Central Gujarat) chemical industries stand on lands acquired for engineering units. These industries are not just hazardous, but also disrespectful of pollution control laws. PSS and the people of Sarigam have been protesting against the air, water and noise pollution in this area, and took umbrage
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especially when a particular company with a poor track record of pollution control, sought to expand its unit for manufacturing a fungicide. While it should have been GPCB’s responsibility to pull it up, it was the people with PSS who collected data, coordinated surveys, obtained scientific proof of the pollution levels of the area and questioned expansion plans. PSS, in collaboration with Farmers Action Group, sampled air along the “infamous” Effluent Channel Project, the Ankleshwar GIDC, and the Vadodara Petrochemical Complex as part of a collaborative effort with the International Bucket Brigade. The air samples were sent to Columbia Analytical Services Inc.,USA for testing which revealed alarming levels of cancerous and dangerous toxins contaminatA test conducted by the ing the air at the Vadodara Central Pollution Control and AnkleshBoard revealed exceeded war Industrial Estates. The levels of lead, cadmium chemicals and chromium in waste found harm the reproductive collected from Coca - Cola system, the bottling plants. central nervous system, kidneys and liver. Lignite has been mined from Rajpardi area (Bharuch district) for over 15 years, leading to loss of ground water and rivulet streams for five villages in the area. Instead acidic water flows through the streams and the waste of the mines are finding their ways into the fields. With the Gujarat Mining Development Corporation being insensitive to the people, the people put up a strong demonstration and forced its officials to visit the fields and villages and listen to the complaints. With PSS’s support the villagers forced the mining company to set up a separate water supply scheme for them!
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Demand accountability Despite having one of the worst industrial tragedies of the world, India’s monitoring of air pollution is woeful with no standards for ambient air pollution. Disregarding the state pollution control board’s statements, PSS has discovered that the regulatory authorities neither collect enough data neither do they have the wherewithal to measure newer and more poisonous gases in the atmosphere. GPCB has the capacity to monitor only a few air and water pollution parameters. Samples for organic pollutants, heavy metals, dioxins and other complex pollutants that are known to be extremely toxic, are never tested. With no data or political will to take action against air pollution, the health of the workers and citizens is at stake. A slow reenactment of the Bhopal tragedy is taking place in Gujarat where crops are wiped out due to a single release of industrial emission, rich agricultural lands are devastated due to chronic exposure to emissions and people are threatened by rising cases of cancer. PSS, in its decade long struggle against the state government has demanded a complete balance sheet for each industry to hold them accountable for chemicals they use and release into the environment, immediate data collection and analysis of air samples at all industrial estates, along all effluent channels and at effluent dumping sites and regular testing by the pollution control boards, and making of the test results, public.
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PROTEST UPDATES Panchayats Reject Coke Expansion Plea 18th April, Mehdiganj (UP): 15 panchayats have moved the government to reject Coca - Cola's application for expanding its bottling operations and end current groundwater extraction in Mehdiganj, Varanasi district, to save community water resources. Coca-Cola has applied to the central and state government to increase its groundwater usage from the current 50,000 cubic meters annually to 250,000 cubic meters annually for its bottling plant in Mehdiganj. The panchayats have cited difficulty in accessing water for drinking and farming purposes in surrounding villages. The current status of the area's groundwater supply has been declared 'critical' by the government, for which Coca - Cola is solely responsible. During the soft - drink makers 11 year stay in Mehdiganj, the water table dropped to 7.9meters (26 feet). Further more a test conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed exceeded levels of lead, cadmium and chromium in waste collected from Coca - Cola bottling plants. The waste was being distributed to farmers as fertilizers. Waste from Mehdiganj revealed excessive cadmium and chromium amounts. Coke’s ‘water—harvesting’ and ‘water—neutrality’ measures are a sham with company officials admitting the failure of their initiatives. In spite of such drastic effects no public notices were served to local communities nor public hearings held regarding this application for expansion. “Communities have primary rights over the use of groundwater, and we have decided that it is in the best interest of the communities to not allow Coca-Cola to expand and put an end immediately to its
current groundwater use,” said Mukesh Kumar, Sarpanch of Nagepur panchayat. Repressive Canal Work in Narmada Valley Badwani, Dhar (MP): Adivasis and farmers from Mandil, Mundla, Khadkal (Rajpur Tehsil, Badwani Dist) and Malangaon, Karoli, Chhota Barda etc. (Tehsil Manavar, Dist. Dhar) faced the repression of the BJP -led Madhya Pradesh Govt, which is pushing ahead the canal work in violation of all norms on agricultural safeguards, environmental compliance and rehabilitation. The Collector of Badwani with BJP leaders and the local MLA went to some of the adivasi villages the previous day purportedly for inspection, but had no meaningful dialogue with the poor adivasi-farmers. Instead the Collector and his entourage resorted to most vulgar abuse, threatening the people and activists that no questioning of any sort would be tolerated. Only last month in Nandra village farmers were arrested for valiantly questioning the Omkareshwar canal work. False cases were registered against them and excavation undertaken destroying standing crop. The people were trying to tell them that surrounding lands were affected the existing canal dug before, by huge rubble deposited on un-acquired portions of land, severe water logging. Also 60% land oustees had not been provided alternative cultivable land etc. The Collector did not listen to any of the issues raised by the people and was only harping on canal construction at any cost. This situation of repression is similar in Malangaon, Karoli, Nandra and other villages and people have to question this with the Expert Committee’s report in their hands. The most recent MoEF Expert Committee’s 2nd Field Visit Report has concluded huge gaps in Narmada canal planning and
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work. It has recommended that farmers who have faced impacts of muck disposal or destruction of un-acquired land must be compensated, 60% land oustees should be provided alternative cultivable land, onfarm safeguard measures must be completed before canal work, canals should not be pushed in irrigated villages at a distance of 3 kms from Narmada etc. It also recommended that the administration and NVDA must have a dialogue with NBA and the farmers, which are being flouted.
ronmental norms have been grossly violated. Even the proposed power generation is yet to begin. In Uttrakhand the situation of the dams constructed so far is very dismal. The dams pose a danger not only for the river but also spell doom for the state. For seeking their rights, Tehri Dam displaced people went to the Supreme Court and only then some semblance of rehabilitation has happened. For the last 21 years litigation has been going on in the case between N.D. Juyal and Shekhar Singh V/s GoI. The struggle for rehabilitation has been spearheaded by the anti dam camDemand: Immediate implementation of all the rec- paigners. ommendations of the MoEF Expert In Uttrakhand on Alaknandaganga unMonitoring Committee and execution of command area and farm safeguard der construction Vishnugad–Peepalkoti measures before any canal construction HEP area men and women of the affected villages of Kaudiya , Durgapur, Harsari, and mitigation of health impacts. Annual compensation for muck disposal Naurakh, Tagari etc. protested under the on un-acquired land, destruction of banner of Matu Jansangthan. In Harsari standing crop due to water logging and village people gathered at the dam site alternative land based rehabilitation to where the construction of tunnel is under way; the work was stalled and THDC offifarmers losing more than 60% land Demand review of canals in irrigated vil- cials were gheroed. After this the proceslages and detailed consultation with sion proceeded to the THDC office at Siyasedh ,shouting slogans like Ganga ko farmers. aviral Bahene do ,Badhe bandh Dhoka hai, People Oppose Vishnugad - Peepalkoti and vowed to continued their struggle . HEP in Ganga Valley Narinder Pokhariyal said that for the last 9 years his village people are facing the consequences of this proposed dam but the company has not shown any concern. Even Hatt village people are hanging on to mere assurances only. Geeta devi said that while the people here have lost their sleep due to site blasting at night the government is sound asleep. Women at various villages Masuri Devi, Nandi Devi, Bhadi Devi all protested dams on the river.
14th March Alaknandaganga valley: A demonstration was held on the occasion of International Anti Big Dam day. Across the country, there has been no rehabilitation of the people displaced by big dams, envi-
Even small Hydro Electric Projects have a huge impact in Uttrakhand. On 24th July and 3rd Aug 2012 due to cloud bursts in the Assi Ganga river valley, the under construction Kaldigahat and Assi ganga Phase -I and II Hydro electric project and Bhagirathi Ganga in Maneri Chal phase II caused lots of destruction. There is no
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account or record of the deaths of the eroded. But no action has been taken workers. The villages along Assiganga have against the builder. been badly affected; pathways have been
Editorial
S
imply defined rape is an un-consented, forced act of sexual intercourse irrespective of gender. However Indian laws still refuse to acknowledge marital rape as a criminal act with the current Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2013 disregarding the Verma Commission’s recommendations. The Ordinance, remaining loyal to the Criminal Law (Amendments) Bill 2012 and other predecessors, states that marital rape is not an offence if the wife is above 16 years of age obviously forgetting that child marriage is a criminal act. In the same breath the ordinance fixes the Age of Consent at 18 years. Such is the absurdity of our legislators.
easy for wives to walk away from the marriage with a hefty compensation which is a valid argument but are we to ignore the many women who are victims of marital rape? Such conundrums test the efficiency of a system and so it is up to our legislature and judiciary to build a strong system, putting their analysis and reasoned foresight to the test.
Most importantly the approach should also be holistic providing complete protection from possible future threats from the in – laws, compensation and maintenance for her well being especially if she cannot return to her maternal home, a safe house while the case is going on and the judgeThis reluctance to acknowledge marital ment is passed. rape as a serious offence is justified as saving the institution of marriage from dissolution. An institution’s success is dependThis reluctance is inexcusable especially ent on the well – being of the individuals at time when we have ascribed legal status who are a part of it. Economic independto live – in relationships and provided proence and socio – political emancipation mean nothing if women do not have the tection against harassment at the workright to their own bodies. The Verma Com- place. It is a reflection of a society striving mission report clearly states that rape and so hard to fit into the contours of the modsexual assault are an expression of power. ern world but refuses to let go completely Let’s take off the feminist glasses and even of its archaic notions. then marital rape grossly violates the right to life as it causes physical, mental and emotional harm. Hence the State should uphold this fundamental right as it is not in conflict with the directive principles nor does it threaten the integrity of the nation By continuously turning a blind eye the state is not only going against the promise to ensure to all its citizens justice, equality but also against the UDHR, CEDAW and other international charters. Status quo supporters feel that criminalising forced sexual relations in a marriage could victimise husbands, making it
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Events State Level Seminar on Minimum Wages Contact details: Kamayani - 9771950248, Patna, 2nd May Ashish - (9973363664) After the May Day celebrations at Araria, a delegation of about one hundred workers will leave for Patna to be part of the state level seminar on minimum wages to be held on 2nd May at the BIA Hall (opposite Bihar State Museum), Patna. Footprints is an NAPM initiative towards providing our friends and supporters updated news of NAPM’s and its associates activities, analytical articles, views and interviews. The newsletter will run on a fortnightly basis and will be issued on the 1st and 16th each month. We encourage you to send in
press releases, photographs, articles,
situation updates to be featured in Footprints. Movement of India, NAPM’s English magazine, will continue as before.
National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) started as a process in 1992 amidst the Ayodhya backlash and globalization spree and took a definite shape in 1996 after a long national tour of 15 states by senior activists. It is an alliance of progressive people’s organisations and movements, who while retaining their autonomous identities, are working together to bring the struggle for primacy of rights of communities over National Alliance of People’s Movements C/O 6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 014 India Telefax : 91 11 2437 4535 Mobile: 9818411417 Email: napmindia@gmail.com Web : www.napm-india.org FB: www.facebook.com/ napmindia Twitter: www.twitter.com/napmindia
natural resources, conservation and governance, decentralised democratic development and towards a just, sustainable and egalitarian society in the true spirit of globalism. We stand against corporate globalisation, communalism and religious fundamentalism, patriarchy, casteism, untouchability and discrimination of all kinds. We believe an alliance emerging out of such a process with shared ideology and diverse strategies can give rise to a strong social, political force and a National People's movement. In its quest for a larger alliance, beyond the people’s movements, NAPM also reaches out to integrate various civil society organisations and individuals working towards similar goals.