Activist on Hunger Strike

Medha Patkar's condition worsens
Source: NDTV. Image Source: ndtv.com


New Delhi, April 4: Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada river Movement)activist Medha Patkar's condition is worsening.

Her blood pressure has dropped and she is refusing to allow medical tests to determine the condition of her kidneys.

The activist has been on a hunger strike for seven days. Five people including Medha have vowed to continue the hunger strike till the government stops raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam .

The dam's height is to be raised by 10 meters and this is expected to displace even more people, while hundreds of others are still waiting for rehabilitation.

Three worried union ministers on Monday pleaded with Medha to end her fast assuring her that the displaced people would be rehabilitated. But they failed to change her mind.

Former prime minister V P Singh also met Medha earlier in the day today

The background on the above movement is to give jsutice to thousands of tribal people & villagers who have been already displaced due ot construction of a gigantic multi-purpose project dam on river Narmada, a river in Indian Peninisular. The lake which is formed as result of the dam ..always submerges the surrounding areas. In countries liek India msot of the settlements are on the banks of the river. Hence any such project would submerge 100s of vilalges and large tracts of tribal lands (agricultural & residential). This way the villagers/tribals are uprooted from their homes & deprived of their livelihood. The government has a compensation plan in such cases. But sadly the compensation si not enough and reduces the landed farmers into the pitiable position of landless laborers- leading ot fall in their standard of living.

Activist Medha Patkar is one of such pioneering persons to watch out how the govenemtn shortchanges such poor people by giving them inadequate compensation. Besides the envionmental damage also has been taken into account. Hence the name of the movement Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement). As if the earlier govt plans were not enough to put the inhabitants of this regions in difficulties, the govt okayed the plan to raise the height of the Dam which would flood the hind side lake and submege larger tracts of agricultural and residential lands.

Ths time Medha and two of her collegues are observing indefinite hunger strike to draw attention to the grave problems caused by developmental projects.