Dam affects agitation starts from October 26

PUNE, Oct 19: The Maharashtra State Dam and Project-Affected Farmers’ Association have threatened a State-level agitation to demand their immediate rehabilitation. While demonstrations will be staged in the city on December 17, jail-bharo andolan will be held at Satara, Kolhapur and Sangli between October 26 to 29.

Association general secretary Baba Adhav in a statement on Sunday stated that a meeting was held to discuss the rehabilitation bill. Nearly 300 representatives from the affected areas of Chaskaman, Dimbhe, Manik doh, Pavana, Temghar, Mulshi, Varasgaon, Panshet and Koyna participated in the State-level conference.

Despite repeated assurances by political leaders, the rehabilitation bill could not be tabled in the State Assembly for the past two-and-a-half years, the leaders emphasised. The participants lamented that even as the State Government announced new dam projects, it did not take care of the related development works by stating that it had no funds.

The project-affected persons will stage a two-day massive demonstration at Pune, the statement added. The meeting was chaired by Nagnath Tarakavdi which resolved that the project-affected persons should immediately stop the work underway at the dams.