‘Apolitical fight needed against check dams’
The check-dams are for the profit of politicians on the one hand and are an issue of worry to the farmers on the other hand. So, a severe fight against this must be taken up through non-political organisations, said Taluk Elected Representatives Federation President Suma Nagesh.
She said that the people are un-necessarily turning anxious over the issue. Check dams are not the project by the government to submerge irrigation land, roads and villages. Instead, it is the criminal plan of the government to privatise the land, she informed.
The Central Government has implemented a law in 2003 by giving green signal for the electricity generation in private sectors using natural water sources. The law also allows for the utilisation of the electricity generated and selling of the excess electricity to the grid on a fixed rate. These projects are quite popular in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, the Congress government in the State during its tenure had plotted for Bhadra project, Malathihalla project with the support from private sectors, but those attempts were severely condemned by Malnad people as they fought hard through non-political organisations. Owing to it, the government had to drop the idea to move forward the projects, said Suma Nagesh and condemned BJP and JDS governments for exploiting Malnad by carrying out the project. BJP and JDS governments came to the power with capitalist mentality whose main motive was privatisation of land and resources. Now the government, to ones astonishment has decided to sell natural water to private people on lease for a term of 30 years.
These projects are a source of income to the government and officials working with it. The project intends to bring less profit to the government, while it adds more money to the account of ruling party politicians. Observing all this, the non-political organisations must unite together and fight against the projects.
The earlier success of non-political movements against Bhadra upper canal or Kuduremukh mining issue reveals the power of people’s fight, she said.
