Patkar turns down PM146;s request

On the seventh day of her agitation, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar has turned down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh8217;s request to end her indefinite hunger strike.

On the seventh day of her agitation, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar has turned down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh8217;s request to end her indefinite hunger strike. Her protest will continue, she says, until the government makes public its report on the rehabilitation of the families affected by the Sardar Sarovar project. Patkar, in a statement, said: 8220;The team visiting the affected areas in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat must make its report public immediately, latest by April 9. Till then, I and my colleagues shall continue our fast.8221;

Her health has been deteriorating and a doctor from a nearby hospital has been stationed near the protest site at Jantar Mantar in case of any emergency.

Deputed by the Prime Minister, Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz, met Patkar twice today and conveyed Singh8217;s request to call off her strike.

8216;8216;The Prime Minister has reaffirmed the government8217;s commitment to fully carrying out the rehabilitation of the project-affected families of the Sardar Sarovar dam, in consonance with the Supreme Court order,8217;8217; Soz told her.

The minister said he and his ministerial colleagues Meira Kumar and Prithviraj Chavan would visit the relief and rehabilitation areas and the affected families in the project-affected sites and particularly take note of areas where rehabilitation has not been done as is stated in Patkar8217;s memorandum. Soz said the NBA would also be asked to present their issues before a team of Union ministers visiting the project areas.

8220;The team would ensure that relief and rehabilitation of project-affected families has complied with the terms of the award and the Supreme Court judgement,8221; Soz said.

Patkar accepted a glass of salt water from Soz, but said her fast would continue. She said she expected 8216;8216;more concrete action8217;8217; from the government when Soz asked her to 8216;8216;trust8217;8217; the Centre on the rehabilitation issue.

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Patkar termed the Centre8217;s decision to increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to 121.92 metres as a gross violation of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Authority and the Supreme Court judgements in the matter.

She also demanded that the Centre stop work on the construction of the dam immediately. According to her, the relief and rehabilitation has not been done even below the dam height of 110 metres.

The Narmada Control Authority had recently decided to increase the height of the dam, a decision which, the NBA claims, would render 35,000 families homeless.