Medha Patkar ends indefinite fast after assurances by state govt
Besides Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar, six other persons, including four women, also ended their fast after the talks, a senior official of the state’s public relations department said.
Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar ended her nine-day fast on Monday night after the state’s former chief secretary Sharad Chandra Behar met her as a mediator on behalf of the state government in Barwani district.
Medha Patkar and other activists were on a hunger strike in Chhota Barda village demanding the gates of Sardar Sarovar dam must be opened to reduce the water level to 130 meters so that the more than 30,000 affected people living in 193 villages of Barwani, Dhar, Khargone and Alirajpur districts could be rehabilitated.
Behar read out a letter by the state’s chief secretary SR Mohanty detailing the action taken by the state government on the 30 points discussed between the government and Patkar on August 24.
“She has ended her fast on assurances of the state government,” said Rahul Yadav, an NBA activist.
“Medha Patkar announced ending the indefinite fast after a discussion with NBA activists on conceding of the demands by MP government. There will be a meeting with the government in Bhopal on September 9,” NBA also tweeted.
She had earlier turned down the state government’s request made through two ministers and the administration in Barwani district to end her fast in the past few days, said an official.
On Monday, chief minister Kamal Nath had urged the leader to end her fast while underlining the measures taken by the state government for the rehabilitation of the affected people. However, he also expressed his limitations.
“The Sardar Sarovar Project is an inter-state project in which Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are participatory states. Hence, a single state can’t make a decision. Rehabilitation work is being done as per the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) award, rehabilitation policy of the state and orders passed by the Supreme Court,” Kamal Nath had said in the statement.
“Redressal of grievances related to rehabilitation of displaced persons is being looked into by the high court’s five retired justices trough a grievance redressal authority,” he added.
Making an appeal to Medha Patkar to end her fast and cooperate in resolving issues related to the affected people, he had said that his government was committed to their complete rehabilitation.
