MPs concerned over displacement of people by dams

New Delhi, Mar 10: The issue of ongoing protest by villagers displaced by the construction of the Damodar Valley Corporation's (DVC) Maithon dam in Jharkhand was raised in the Rajya Sabha today.

"In Baliapur area of Dhanbad district, adivasis and tribals are protesting for last 10 days. In fact, the third generation is protesting now. The displaced villagers have not got compensation and jobs by DVC and the issue dates back to 1954," Sanjiv Kumar (JMM) said during Question Hour.

He said 38,000 acre of land was acquired in 1954 in which 12,000 families of 240 villages were displaced. DVC had issued a circular saying it has given jobs to 9,000 people but protestors say it was given to "fake land losers", Kumar said.

Kumar accused the state government of not being keen on a CBI probe even as the Union Home Ministry had suggested it.

Raising the issue of Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh, Dilip Kumar Tirkey (BJP) said the project would affect Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana and there was no concrete plan to protect agricultural land and environment so far.

There would be no problem if the project height is maintained to sustain 36 lakh cusecs of flood water but the Andhra Pradesh has increased it to 50 lakh cusecs.

"This will affect the environment without putting in measures to protect environment and agriculture land."

"Our demand is that since so many tribals would be affected not only in Odisha but in Chhatisgarh and Telangana, and even agriculture and environment too will be affected -- we want the government to continue the project only after putting a concrete plan in place," he said.

PTI