From: Bretton Woods Project Subject: Maheshwar Dam protest: send faxes Dear Friends, This Action Alert brings you information about a big program about to be launched by the NBA. Please respond, by circulating to the press and sending faxes. On 11 Jan. 1998, over 20,000 people affected by the MAheshwar hydropower project will move to the dam site, where work is on full swing, to occupy the dam site and launch an indefinite program. The demand is simple - stop the work, suspend the project and review the whole project with the people. It will be a major action, with full chances of state repression. Background The Maheshwar hydropower project is a large dam coming up on the river Narmada in the state of M.P. It is a part of the ambitious Narmada Valley Development Project, in which 30 major dams and 135 medium dams and 3000 small dams are planned in the entire Narmada Valley. The Sardar Sarovar is also a part of this. The Maheshwar hydropower project (MHP) consists of a 35 m high dam at village Jalood and Lepa in Dist. Khargone in MP. It is to have an installed capacity of 400 MW, but the actual power generation will be only for a few hours in a day. The project - defined as "run-of-river" will actually have a storage of 0.396 MAF, and submerge over 2200 families in 61 villages. The project is the first in the Narmada Valley to be privatised - it is given to a Indian textile company S.Kumars, who have no experience in power generation. S.Kumars have established a separate company for the project called - Shree Maheshwar Hydro Power Corporation Ltd. (SMHPCL). However, S.Kumars do not enough capital, so they are actively seeking foreign partners. The names mentioned in this connection are PACGEN of USA. ABB and Siemens are to supply equipment to the project. It is also talked that both of these may be taking up some of the equity. The project work has begun in full swing since last six months or so. However, even as people have already been affected as lands have been taken over forth project colonies, there is no credible master plan, and no land identified, even though the policy calls for land for land and settlement on a community basis. The Company bears no responsibility of the rehabilitation. This has been contracted out to the Govt. The MP STate Electricity Broad now is to undertake the resettlement. It has only tried to give cash compensation - a total violation of the policy, and highly inadequate and inappropriate. MEanwhile, the ongoing blasting at the site has damaged a number of houses in Jalood and Lepa villages, and people are living in fear of house collapses. The environmental clearance has been obtained fro the Ministry, but it is a conditional clearance, and there are no publicly available impact studies or mitigation plans. The conditions of the clearance also seem to violated. The most important thing is that the benefits of the project - its public purpose - has not been established thru any participatory process. The cost of the project itself has gone up four fold in the last ten years (from about 400 crore to 1570 crore rupees). The Company seems to have been given extremely liberal terms. THE STRUGGLE Since last one year, the NBA has been moving in the affected villages, mobilising people. Now, a very strong, organised resistance has come up in the area, which is a part and parcel of NBA itself. A series of program were held in the last year, with delegations trying to obtain information from the Company and the Government - not succeeding in either. On 3 Oct. 1997, the people staged a massive rally of about 10,000 people in the area, calling for a stoppage of work and review of the project in consultation with the people. However, there has been no response from the project or government, except to speed up the work. The people have now decided that they have given enough warning. They have now decided that they will themselves stop the work. For this, an indefinite occupation of the dam site will begin from 11 Jan. 1997. The demands of the people are simple - stop the project, and review all the aspects, including the C/B and the financial terms, the R&R plans, the environmental impacts with the people and NBA. During the occupation, the people have invited other organisations, other dam struggles, experts etc. from all over the country. Public hearings on the project will be held at the occupation site including a hearing on the PPA. Meanwhile, it is expected that the Government will not allow the program to take place. This project is highly symbolic of the private sector participation in the hydropower sector, and if this is stopped, it will be a severe setback to the MP government's privatisation plans. Also, the private sector companies are bringing all sorts of pressure on the government for large sums of money are involved. Hence, the people's struggle requires your support. ACTIONS SUGGESTED In particular, we would request you to do the following 1. Circulate this information to as many people as possible. 2. Circulate this information to the press, especially financial press. 3. Send Faxes to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, stating that you fully support the struggle of the people, that is being carried out under the banner of NBA, that the demand of the people is very reasonable, and that you are aware that they will be starting the program on 11 Jan. , that you hope the Govt. will respond before that. You can express concern that the project is being carried out in spite of serious doubts raised, and that the people are not being involved in any way in the whole process. FAx Numbers : Digvijay Singh, Chief Minster of MP, Bhopal +91-755-540 501 Subhash Yadav, Dy. CM +91-755-550 906 (O) 540 355 (R) THE FAXES ARE MOST IMPORTANT 4. Stay in touch with us. As of now, th contact point is NBA's Baroda office, but soon we will be setting up a contact point near the dam site also. Meanwhile, one phone number belonging to the one of the village leaders may be used. It is MAhadevbahi Patidar +91-7283-32246. There may not be a english speaking person all the time there. 5. Hundreds of people in the valley have written to the Heads of ABB and Siemens not to get involved in the project. The letter will be posted in a day or two from India. You too should write to ABB and Siemens endorsing these letters, and urge them not to get involved in the project. I will soon circulate the english translation of the letter written by the people. Goran Lindahl, CEO & President, Asea Brown Boveri, PO Box 8131, (Affolternstasse 11) CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland Fax : +41-1-311-4983 Tel :+41-1-317 7111 The people are very strong - and are in the mood to fight till th end. However, support from all over will be crucial. With regards, Shripad, NBA