NBA places fabricated facts before PM

NBA places fabricated facts before PM
Bhopal: The Narmada Bachao Andolan activists, opposing the much needed Maheshwar Hydrill Power Project in Maheshwar, have intensified their anti-project activities and are trying to misguide the Central Government by distorting and manipulating false information. In a letter written to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the activists have claimed that dam construction works are on completion while R&R is still hardly 10 percent. The activists also alleged that the state government and the project officials are trying to complete the project while ignoring commitments towards oustees. The facts are totally wrong and misleading as most of the rehabilitation work is complete. The oustees are already constructing their brick houses on the new site. Residential plots to oustees have already been allotted through a transparent lottery system in February 2010. All basic amenities of top class are already existing on the rehabilitation site and many oustees families are already living there.
Few residents supporting NBA activists and were opposing rehabilitation at Mulgaon village. A village under submergence, have also joined hands in the process of development and are overwhelmingly supporting land acquisition. A few people have been left out of the survey as they earlier opposed rehabilitation under wrongful influence of NBA. These residents are now trying and approaching for rehabilitation.
NBA is trying to create confusion by divulging in mongering distorted picture of R&R works being carried out.

Although chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been pressing for completion of the project at the earliest, he still insists that due care must be taken of proper rehabilitation of the project oustees. The project officials have also ensured that best possible facilities of modern living are made available to those families under rehabilitation plan. A meeting of senior officials of the Ministry of Forest and Environment is scheduled in near future in order to scrap restrictions earlier imposed on part constructions. As the project is fast moving towards completion, the decision would go a long way to speed things further. NBA activists are trying to sabotage the project for their vested interests.
It needs mention here that a total of 22 villages are coming under submergence under the Maheshwar HEP. Out of these 13 villages are coming under total submergence while the remaining 9 villages will face partial submergence. Rehabilitation has been planned for 18 villages. There is no need for rehabilitation in 2 villages while residents of the remaining 2 villages have opted for cash compensation.
Development works are almost complete in 10 villages. Residential plots have been allotted in 8 rehabilitation sites while in two villages, the process of allotment is underway. In 6 villages work would start on availability of land required for R&R.