Maheshwar project talks fail

BHOPAL, January 17: The high-level monitoring committee on the Maheshwar project failed to reach an understanding with representatives of th...

BHOPAL, January 17: The high-level monitoring committee on the Maheshwar project failed to reach an understanding with representatives of the Narmada Bachao Andolan NBA on Thursday evening, with the result that a stalemate continues at the site of the Maheshwar hydro-electric project at Khargone district.

With an estimated 20,000 tribals assembling at the site on January 11, the district administration had ordered that construction work at the project site be stopped to avoid possible trouble.

At least 4,000 to 5,000 people kept a round-the-clock vigil even as the monitoring committee invited NBA representatives to Bhopal for talks.The monitoring committee comprises Deputy Chief Minister Subhash Yadav, Tourism and Culture Minister Vijaylakshmi Sadho, MLA from Barwah Khargone district Tarachand Patel, officials of the MP State Electricity Board, the Narmada Valley Development Authority and the Energy Department, and S Kumars, contractors of the project.

The NBA delegation was led by Aloke Agrawal andChittaroopa Palit and included some of the project-affected people.

The NBA delegation insisted that the whole project be scrapped as not even a masterplan for the rehabilitation of the thousands of families, which would be uprooted, had been prepared. They also said that those whose land had been acquired had been promised other land, but no land was made available for the rehabilitation of oustees from other projects on the Narmada river. Moreover, the project cost, estimated a year ago at Rs 465 crore, had now gone up to Rs 1572 crore, thereby defeating the very purpose of providing electricity to the people at moderate rates, the NBA delegation said.

Subhash Yadav, who is said to be piqued at the project in his district having been handed over to the private company without even inviting tenders, told the NBA delegation to submit a proposal for a review of the project and said he would submit it to the government for consideration.

The NBA activists said that the agitation against the project would be further intensified from January 20 if the demand was not fulfilled.

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However, they could not provide information on the number of people who were likely to be displaced following the implementation of the project.