BHOPAL, Jan 5: The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) today announced that an estimated 20,000 people affected by the construction of the Maheshwar dam project would assemble at the dam site in Khargone on January 11 and force the work to stop. Their stop-the-work agitation would continue till the affected people were assured of proper rehabilitation.Maheshwar hydro-electric project, with an installed capacity of 400 mw, is being constructed by S. Kumars. NBA spokesman Aloke Agrawal said neither the S. Kumars management nor the State Government authorities had spelled out the clear terms of relief and rehabilitation for the affected people in spite of repeated requests made to them.According to Chittaroopa Palit, another NBA activist, the construction of the Maheshwar dam on the Narmada river would affect 61 villages displacing thousands of people. Besides, it would submerge thousands of acres of fertile and irrigated land, as well as sites of cultural and historical importance. Aloke said that houses in several villages around the project site had already developed cracks because of the incessant blasting.
