Radhika Agarwal (NALSAR)
It was only after 363 Bishnois lost their lives in the famous revolutionary Chipko movement that people started taking their love for the Khejri trees (regarded as Gods of the desert) seriously. Similarly, it took the Government of Madhya Pradesh 17 days to finally give in to the demands of the villagers who stood neck deep in water in the Khandwa district of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is ironical that while it is the Government that has been entrusted with the duty of protecting the environment and ensuring the welfare of the people of the State, it is doing everything in its power to harm the environment and to deteriorate the well-being of the citizens. The Government has often placed environmental rights and human rights secondary to industrial development and economic progress. This is evident from the fact that numerous development projects for nuclear power enhancement, hydro-electric power enhancement etcetera have been undertaken by the Government.
While embarking on the ambitious Omkareshwar Dam project on River Narmada, it completely disregarded the rights of the villagers residing nearby. The villagers stood neck-deep in water for days on end, without receiving any medical aid. They refused to give up their Jal Satyagraha. It was after seeing the undeterred spirit of the Jal Satyagrahis of Khandwa, that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan decided to reduce the height of the dam to 189 metres and to give land to the people who were displaced from the nearby villages as part of the project. The reluctance of the Government in listening to the demands of the people is thus evident. Taking inspiration from this Jal satyagraha, another Jal satyagraha has been carried out against the construction of the Indira Sagar dam in Harda District in Madhya Pradesh. Shockingly, the Government instead of providing any kind of relief to the satyagrahis cut off power supply and water supply to the villages in the district in order to “teach a lesson” to these devotees of nature. The Government had undertaken such a step in the hope that lack of basic amenities would make the people give up their Jal Satyagraha.
The Supreme Court has read right to shelter under right to life given in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.[1] By constructing huge dams for generation of colossal units of hydroelectric power, the State is putting at stake the lives and the livelihood of millions of people who have lived in the river valleys for ages. As a result of the construction, the surrounding villages will be inundated with water! Although there are laws that provide for the rehabilitation and resettlement of people displaced as a result of such construction activities, such laws exist only on paper! Moreover, the compensation given to the displaced people is often inadequate.[2] People have no say in such matters. For them, it is a crushing reality to wake up one day and to be told that they have to vacate their homes. How then are the rights of such people protected? Isn’t this a blatant violation of the right to life?
The Madhya Pradesh Satyagraha is not the first of its kind. In the past, similar satyagrahas have been taken such as the famous Narmada Bachao Andolan. This involved a nation-wide protest including hunger strike against the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada. The Court in this case allowed the Sardar Sarovar Dam to be constructed, but subjected the construction to certain conditions, emphasizing resettlement of the people with the help of the Grievance Redressal Authorities. However, the people are still dissatisfied with the Court’s decision and continue to vehemently oppose this project. Although these protests to protect the precious elements of nature have done a lot to bring awareness about the need to protect the rights of the people, unfortunately, little has been done by the Government to actually alleviate the violation of these human rights.
The question with which I would like to conclude is: How many more Chipko movements and Jal Satyagarahas will the people have to undertake before the Government finally opens its eyes and is sensitive to the plight of the rural population of the country?!
[1] Shantistar Builders v. Narayan Khimalal Totame (1990) 1 SCC 520: AIR 1990 SC 630; Chameli Singh v. State of U.P.[(1996) 2 SCC 549 ; Ahmedabad Municipal Nagarpalika v. Nawabkhan Gulabkhan, in (1997) 11 SCC 121
[2] “TheAsian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a report from the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) that a large group of villagers who have been evicted from their land without compensation for the construction of the Omkareshwar Dam”
available at http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-162-2012 (last visited October 7, 2012)
HUMAN RIGHTS ON CAMPUS 