The National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements (NAPM) organized a dharna on the 16th and 17th of February at Jantar Mantar for the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Hundreds of oustees of Maheshwar dam came to Delhi for the two day programme to demand that the construction of the Maheshwar dam should be stopped immediately. The construction of the Maheshwar dam, touted to be one of the largest on Narmada, is going to affect around 50,000 to 70,000 peasants, fisher people, boatpeople and landless workers who are supposed to be provided with agricultural land but so far, though the construction work is nearing completion, the rehabilitation process has only progressed to some 5%. Even after repeated pleas to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, there has been no move to stop construction and through this dharna, they hoped to attraction to the oustees’ plight and strengthen their struggle for their rights.
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