NBA urges PM to make Shunglu committee report public

New Delhi, July 4 (UNI) The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make public the Shunglu Committee report when it is released and to give a chance to affected people to comment on it.

In a letter to Dr Singh, NBA leader Medha Patkar said since the report is related to the Constitutional rights of the oustee as an individual citizen and generation old communities, the documents must be put in the public domain.

''The Oversight Group led by Mr Shunglu must have submitted to you the Report.... We hope the Committee would also submit to you the report of NSS organisation and the Over view reports of their individual surveyors, as well as the report of the private company, IDC, commissioned by the OSG to do verification of survey data,'' the letter said.

''You will agree that this exercise initiated by your office is one related to the Constitutional rights of the oustee as an individual citizen and generation old communities, the Gram Sabha and hence the above mentioned reports should be the documents in the public domain,'' it added.

Ms Patkar said, ''it would be a sorry affair, if these reports affecting the rights of people are not made available to the people and the movement.'' ''We therefore request you to make the reports --the final OG Report, the NSSO report and the Surveyors reports-- available to us and consider our comments before you make any decision based on the same and before the Government's viewpoint is submitted to the Supreme Court,'' she added.

''We trust that you would respond positively and promptly...

This is our appeal to you, at this critical time, when you have to decide finally on the Narmada issue and take a firm position on displacement, rehabilitation and its linkage to development plans,'' she said.

She said there is a need for a final consultation with the people's organisations on the newly drafted National Rehabilitation policy before it is tabled in Parliament.

She said the construction work at Sardar Sarovar Dam is in progress and reaching its target of 122 mts.

''The people from the valley numbering not less than 1.5 lakh (35,000 families) continue to reside in the affected area if the rainfall is 1:100 years scale....But this rainfall can occur in any year as in 1994 (1:70 years) and in 1970 (1:100 years), when thousands of houses were affected without this, which is a further barrier, causing huge pondage,'' she pointed out.

''How tragic would be the monsoon and flooding remains to be watched by all and fought by the living human communities of farmers and labourers who haven't yet begin committing suicides,'' she added.

UNI NR RR HS1427