Date: 12

th
June 2014
To,
Shri Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Respected Narendra Modi-ji,
We are writing to yo in e!traordinary sitation of angish, after learning from media reports
and athentic sorces that the "o#ernment of India, throgh the Narmada $ontrol %thority
is planning to grant final clearance to the Sardar Saro#ar and permit installation of radial
gates, a&o#e the present height of '(')*( mts, to the final height of '+,)-, mts)
.or go#ernment has o&tained an impressi#e majority from across the contry and therefore,
we hope that yo will not ignore people/s e!pectations and wold act in national interest)
0efore any hasty and frther decision on Sardar Saro#ar, we wold 1indly re2est yo to
dwell pon the following grond realities3 sitation of reha&ilitation, en#ironmental
compliance and cost &enefits3 the hman &enefits #erss hman disaster4
1. Narmada #alley 5SSP area6 with thic1 village communities in the hills and plains in
245 villages, with a population of 2.5 lakh3 thosands of hectares of fertile
agricltre and horticltre, hndreds of mandirs, masjids, ghats, schools, mar1ets,
Panchayats etc) etc) cannot &e drowned withot fll and lawfl reha&ilitation)
2. Thousands of families mostl! adivasis and small fa"me"s a"e !et to #e given
land in $.%. and $aha"asht"a. While hndreds ha#e not accepted cash
compensation till date and are entitled to land, thosands who ha#e &een dis&rsed
half or fll installments of cash compensation ha#e &een dped &y a ne!s of agents
and officials and the matter is sub judice (under judicial inquiry). Thousands of
landless, fish wo"ke"s, potte"s etc. a"e also awaiting alte"native livelihood #ased
&'&.
(. )*pe"t +ommittees appointed #! $o), ha#e conclded that nmeros stdies and
safegard measres on command area de#elopment, catchment area treatment,
compensatory afforestation, a2atic, health impacts seismic ris1s, downstream impacts
is pending and g"oss violations have #een pointed out, which a"e !et to #e
"ectified.
4. Neither the R7R S& "rop nor the 8n#ironment S& "rop can grant clearance to
raise the dam in the present sitation, since the Spreme $ort/s 9dgement of (:::
clearly mandates that permission shall &e gi#en pari passu, only after ensing fll and
lawfl compliance on all measres)
5. In M)P) and Maharashtra, hund"eds of o"de"s of the -"ievance &ed"essal
.utho"it! a"e pending fo" compliance and hndreds of applications are also pending
to &e heard) /ou" gove"nment is #ound to compl! with the 0a"mada 1ate"
Disputes T"i#unal .wa"d, &'& %olicies, Judgements of the 2up"eme +ou"t,
.ction plans and -&. o"de"s. The -&.3s have not !et given thei" clea"ance and
0+.3s decision without the same would #e illegal.
4. . Judicial +ommission nder 9st S)S) 9ha has &een in2iring into a massi#e
co""uption scam of &s. 1000 c"o"es in $.%. and the in2iry as well as report on the
fa1e registries, irreglarities at ,, R7R sites, hose plot allotments, li#elihood to
landless is de) ;ge corrption implies hge reha&ilitation wor1 pending)
5. .o 1now 2ite well that the people of the Narmada #alley are not at all opposed to
the interests of the farmers, rral poor and real de#elopment of "jarat and Rajasthan)
We are not at all 2estioning or stalling the constrction of canals in the command
area) 1e appeal to !ou that the canal wo"k needs to #e unde"taken on a p"io"it!
#asis and the wate" ponded at 121.62 mts needs to #e full! utili7ed and all
pending measu"es on &'&, envi"onmental compliance should #e ensu"ed, #efo"e
"aising the dam height fu"the".
8. Raise of dam height at this stage wold only lead to additional s&mergence withot
any real increase in the &enefits) Sch a decision wold &e completely nlawfl and
wold not &eho#e yor good self as the Prime Minister, responsi&le for the welfare of
the citi<ens of India) The investment of 50,000 c"o"es needs to #e "eviewed vis9:9vis
the #enefits and a comp"ehensive "eview needs to #e unde"taken, with all stake
holde"s.
1e appeal to !ou" conscience to stop the hast! decision p"ocess, give us an oppo"tunit!
fo" a #"ief hea"ing with !ou" good self and a detailed p"esentation #efo"e the conce"ned
ministe"s, who would ce"tainl! like to know the situation in the valle! and even visit the
affected a"eas to assess the "ealit!, fi"st hand, #efo"e taking an i""eve"si#le decision.
This would #e a t"ue ode to 2a"da" %atel, leade" of fa"me"s, f"om !ou and !ou"
gove"nment.
We will stand &y e#ery mo#e of yors ta1en within the framewor1 of law and hman jstice,
&t will &e compelled to challenge the same if law, hman rights and natre are #iolated)
With sincere and personal regards,
Medha Pat1ar =ailash %wasya Mad Machwara Ran#eer Patel
De#ram =anera Pema 0ap Sa#a&ehan =amla .ada#
+op! to:
1. Smt >ma 0harti, ;on/&le >nion Minister for Water Resorces
2. Shri Pra1ash 9a#de1ar, ;on/&le >nion Minister for 8n#ironment
(. Shri Thaawar $hand "ehlot, ;on/&le >nion Minister for Social 9stice)