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Troubled
Waters
Megsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh is determined to take on the authorities
who he says are out to hamper his water harvesting efforts in Rajasthan.
INDIA TODAY's Principal Correspondent Rohit Parihar reports.
When
President K.R. Narayanan visited Hamirpur village in Alwar district of
Rajasthan last year, it was a rare honour for the villagers under the
Bhaonta Koyla panchayat. Having worked under the guidance of an NGO, the
Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), they had brought back to life the Aravari and
other dying rivers in the area and the President's recognition of their
efforts had them hitting into the headlines. Soon after, TBS founder General
Secretary Rajendra Singh was chosen for Megsaysay award and several international
organisations came calling, evincing interest in the NGO's bid at water
conservation. One of them, Ford India, even donated funds as a token of
appreciation. The money was promptly used to begin construction of a community
hall, the Aravari Bhavan, and a Ganga temple dedicated to the Aravari.
After all these months, Hamirpur and its villagers are back in the news.
For different reasons though. Their energies are now being conserved to
fight the district administration following an official move to demolish
not only the community hall but also the temple. Much of the controversy
centres around the authorities' claim that the villagers had encroached
upon Government land. But what is surprising the TBS is that the demolition
squads razed to the ground whatever had been built of the hall and the
temple without even as much as issuing a prior notice. Says Singh, who
is determined to taken on the bureaucracy: "This is shocking. We
will have to make the officers rebuild the structures from their own money."
What is more appalling is that the administration has now threatened to
demolish an earthen check dam built on the Udai Nath Ka Nala in Lava Ka
Vaas village. The dam was a collective effort by the villagers with industrialists
and traders pooling resources to help conserve water. The state minister
of irrigation says the dam violates a 1905 agreement between Bharatpur
and Alwar and would block flow of water to the Bharatpur dam, 35 km dwnstream.
Singh is amused. "What kind of welfare does a democratic government
intend when it deprives water to people along 40 km upstream, hoping that
it might help the people downstream? Not only that, the Government never
proved that building of this earthen checkdam was in anyway disturbing
the collection of water downstream.
The controversy over the dam has political colours as well. Former chief
minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, for one, is strongly opposed to its
construction. But much to his embarrassment, an MP belonging to his party,
Vishvendra Singh from Bharatpur, visited the dam site and made a statement
saying that it in no way was detrimental to the villages. Echoing his
words was Natwar Singh, former Union minister who once represented Bharatpur
in Parliament. "The Megsasay award is given after thorough research.
They would have questioned Singh if he were doing something wrong.'' Natwar
Singh, who has consulted agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, says
the dam was actually beneficial for farmers. Swaminathan himself had visited
the dam with other experts and environmentalists, including Anil Aggarwal
of the Centre of Environment, following which he had made a case in favour
of the dam with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. "It is ridiculous that
any law prohibts such a dam to come up," says Aggarwal. "And
if at all there is some law, the Government should amend it to make it
help people."
Such support has only intensified the criticism against Singh. They have
even made charges of corruption againt him though they have not been able
to provide any evidence to back them. A vocal social left activist even
said that Singh's selection had lowered the prestige of the Megsaysay
Award's prestige. With Singh determined to take them on, the raging controversy
is unlikely to have an early end.
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