Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 18:18:07 +0000
From: Bretton Woods Project <bwref@gn.apc.org>
Subject: Maheshwar letter

SPECIMEN LETTER TO SEND IN SUPPORT OF THE NBA'S MAHESHWAR PROTEST
Please send faxes today, the protest will start on Sunday (if you write
afterwards change the tense in the letter).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shri Digvijay Singh
Chief Minster of Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal  
INDIA

Fax: 0091-755-540 501


January 9th 1998

Maheshwar Dam Protest 


Dear Chief Minister,

We understand that people due to be affected by the Maheshwar dam, on the
Narmada river, are mobilising very soon for peaceful protests under the
banner of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. We are writing to inform you that we
are in wholehearted support of the peoples' viewpoints and of their rights
to express these views non-violently at the dam site. 

The project will displace over 20,000 people, but these people were not
engaged by government officials in discussions about the project's aims,
likely human and environmental impacts and mitigation/compensation plans.
The imminent protests show that local people have little or no confidence
in the government's actions and fear the worst if the dam goes ahead. The
people are angry that no credible resettlement master plan has been
published, and no land has been identified which could meet the policy of
land for land resettlement on a community basis. The MP State Electricity
Board has been trying to fob people off with mere cash compensation — a
total violation of the policy, and an action likely to lead to rapid and
drastic reductions in living standards. Also, blasting at the construction
site has damaged a number of houses in Jalood and Lepa villages, where
people are living in fear that their houses may collapse.

The terms of the conditional environmental clearance obtained from the MOEF
in Delhi appear already to have been violated, and there are no publicly
available impact studies or mitigation plans.

Furthermore, and most importantly, the likely benefits of the project have
not been established through any public process, leading many to doubt the
project's very viability. The expected project cost has risen four fold in
the last ten years (from about 400 crore to 1570 crore rupees) and the
company which appears to have been granted an extremely liberal contract to
build the project has no prior experience in the field.

We urge you to enter into dialogue with the local project affected people
and the NBA, to respond to their demands to stop the project, and review —
in conjunction with them — all its aspects, including the cost benefit
analysis, the financial terms, the Resettlement and Rehabilitation plans,
the environmental impacts.

Yours sincerely,