Yet another dam has been proposed across a tribal region by taking neither the human cost nor the Indian constitution into consideration. This story of lopsided development unfolds in Jashpur, a tribal district in the state of Chhattisgarh. The proposed dam is being built to feed a power plant. The electricity from the power plant is not meant for the people who have been living in the region but rather to fuel the privately owned factories of billionaires. The people will only get displacement and misery in returns for their lands, fields and homes.
A cluster of villages in four panchayats with population going into many thousands will be causalities if the dam is ever built. No provisions for relocation and rehabilitation are in place. Inpsite of the fact that the area comes under the PESA act under which the government can not even install a simple tap without the permission of the panchayats, as per the constitution, land acquisition has begun.
The hopes of the public now rests on a strong people’s movement that has taken hold in the area that vocally opposes the forced acquisition.
Call to Action: Call the DC of Jashpur on 919407748805 and state that his act of acquiring land across the Yib river is illegal and unconstitutional. Demand that the land acquisition and human rights violation be stopped at once. And that the plans for the dam be scrapped according to the will of the people.