File spoon-archives/seminar-12.archive/transl-asia_1998/seminar-12.9805, message 3


Date: Tue, 05 May 1998 08:22:06 +0200
From: John Hutnyk <John.Hutnyk-AT-urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
Subject: [Fwd: Reminder: Maheshwar Declaration Endorsements]


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John Hutnyk
http://les.man.ac.uk/~msrdsjh/index.htm
University of Heidelberg
Mail: Schiffgasse 4
69117 Heidelberg
Germany

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Subject: Reminder: Maheshwar Declaration Endorsements
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NB The deadline for endorsements is this Thursday. List of endorsements
received by Monday May 3 is appended at end of message. A translation of
the Declaration in German and summary in Spanish are available.

                                        PLEASE ENDORSE THIS DECLARATION!

International Rivers Network and Narmada Bachao Andolan/Save the Narmada
Movement have prepared the following declaration on Maheshwar Dam. The
declaration will be addressed to all Indian and foreign public and private
sector bodies supporting the project.

We are seeking endorsements to the declaration from groups in India and
around the world. If you are able to add your endorsement please send us
your name and institutional affiliation by Thursday, May 7. Please reply to
patrick-AT-irn.org.

The NBA is currently working on raising awareness and support within India
for the Maheshwar struggle and are planning their next mass action at the
dam site.

                                        THANK YOU!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF THE STRUGGLE FOR THE PROMISED SUSPENSION OF
CONSTRUCTION ON THE MAHESHWAR DAM, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

NOTING THAT:

1. Maheshwar Dam would submerge 5000 hectares of land, displacing 2200
families and harming the livelihoods of thousands more. Families whose land
has been seized have received inadequate - and illegal - levels of
compensation. No resettlement plan exists. Local people have opposed the
seizure of their land and have requested the Narmada Bachao Andolan/Save
the Narmada Movement (NBA) to join them in their struggle to defend their
rights.

2. Following a year-long struggle, the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP)
on January 30, 1998, issued a written order announcing that it would
suspend construction on the dam pending a comprehensive review of its
costs, benefits and alternatives. This announcement met the demands of the
NBA who called off a dam-site occupation by thousands of local people and a
hunger strike. A Task Force previously established to review the Narmada
Valley Development Project, and including representatives from the GoMP,
NBA and academia, has been directed to carry out this review.

3. At a special meeting of the Task Force on March, 4, 1998, the project
developer, S.Kumars, urged to be allowed to restart construction at
Maheshwar for "safety purposes". The NBA opposed this request believing
that it is a ruse to allow work to continue and thus reassure investors
that the project will not be significantly delayed. However on March, 11,
1998, GoMP issued a notification allowing "any work for the purposes of
safety and resettlement".

4. In early April, S.Kumars restarted work, including blasting, at
Maheshwar under protection of a force of around 1500 police and prohibitory
orders banning protestors from the dam site. On April 22, several thousand
people recaptured the dam site. Police arrested hundreds of villagers and
prevented drinking water tankers from reaching the protestors despite the
42 degree centigrade heat and lack of shelter, forcing people to drink
oil-contaminated river water. In the evening police arrested those
remaining at the site, bringing the total of the day's arrests to around
1200.

5. The following day, hundreds more people dodged police barricades and
once again took over the site. The police, without warning or provocation,
reacted with brutality, repeatedly beating the peaceful protestors with
batons and rifle butts, charging them on horseback, and using sexually
abusive language against women protestors. Several tear gas shells were
fired. By the evening of April 23, around 1500 people were in jail and
around 23 in hospital, some with serious injuries. Work is currently
continuing under the protection of the prohibitory orders and a massive
police presence.

6. The concession to build and operate the 400 megawatt Maheshwar Dam on
the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh state in central India has been given
to a private company, S.Kumars. Preliminary work on the project began in
1996. The dam is scheduled to be completed in 2002. S.Kumars are receiving
numerous public subsidies and guarantees to ensure that private investors
will make a profit from Maheshwar while the sizeable financial risks of the
project are borne by the public sector. The NBA and independent energy
experts have challenged the economic and technical viability of the
project, which will be one of the main subjects in the ongoing review.

7. According to an S.Kumars document dated 17 December, 1996, and other
sources, financing for the project will come from:

        a) German bank Bayerische Vereinsbank and probably Export Credit
Agency, Hermes-Bürgschaften.

        b) US energy utility PacifiCorp. A former subsidiary of PacifiCorp,
Pacific Generation Co. (PacGen), has worked with S.Kumars on structuring
the financing package for Maheshwar and is listed to be one of the largest
equity holders in the project. Although PacifiCorp sold PacGen in November
1997 they have retained their interest in Maheshwar.

        c) Power Finance Corporation, a specialized financial institution
wholly owned by the Government of India. PFC funders include the World
Bank, Asian Development Bank, US Agency for International Development and
UK Overseas Development Agency.

        d) Industrial Finance Corporation of India

        e) State Bank of India

        f) Dena Bank

8. Siemens AG and ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. are believed to have signed
contracts to supply generating and other equipment for the dam. S.Kumars
has requested both companies to buy equity in the project.

THEREFORE, THE UNDERSIGNED ORGANIZATIONS

Condemn the repression of peaceful protests at Maheshwar Dam and the
breaking of the Madhya Pradesh government's written commitment to suspend
construction work.

Call on the Madhya Pradesh government to cease the repression at Maheshwar
and to reinstate their commitment to suspend construction pending the
results of the Task Force's review.

Call on S.Kumars to immediately cease all work on Maheshwar Dam and to only
restart work if the Task Force concludes that the dam should be built and
local people agree with this conclusion.

Call on Power Finance Corporation, Industrial Finance Corporation of India,
State Bank of India, Dena Bank and Bayerische Vereinsbank to make public
announcements condemning the use of violence against peaceful protestors
and guaranteeing that they will only lend to or invest in the Maheshwar
Project if the Task Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built
and local people agree with this conclusion.

Call on Hermes-Bürgschaften to make a public announcement condemning the
use of violence against peaceful protestors and guaranteeing that they will
only guarantee loans to the Maheshwar Project if the Task Force reaches a
consensus that the dam should be built and local people agree with this
conclusion.

Call on PacifiCorp to make a public announcement condemning the use of
violence against peaceful protestors and stating that they no longer
support the project and would only reconsider their involvement if the Task
Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built and local people
agree with this conclusion.

Call on ABB and Siemens to make a public announcement condemning the use of
violence against peaceful protestors and withdrawing their involvement in
the project until such a time as the Task Force reaches a consensus that
the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.

Endorsed by

INSTITUTIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

AUSTRALIA:
Lee Rhiannon, AID/Watch

CANADA
Dianne Murray, Dam-Reservoir Working Group, Carleton University

CHILE
Cristian Opaso, Grupo de Acción por el Bíobio

HUNGARY
Janos Vargha, Danube Circle

ITALY
Laura Radiconcini, Amici della Terra
Francesco Martone & Liliana Cori, Campagna per la Riforma della Banca
Mondiale/Crocevia

MALAYSIA
Elizabeth Wong, SUARAM

NEPAL
Shobhakar Budhathoki, INHURED International
Arjun K. Karki, Rural Reconstruction Nepal

NORWAY
Oyvind Eggen, FIVAS - Association for International Water and Forest Studies

PAKISTAN
Aly Ercelawn & Muhammad Nauman, Citizens Alliance in Reforms for Efficient
and Equitable Development
Mishka Zaman, SUNGI Foundation

SWITZERLAND
Peter Bosshard, Berne Declaration

TAIWAN
Charlie Soong, Meinung People's Association

UNITED STATES
Soren Ambrose, Alliance for Global Justice
Ali Mir, Association of South Asian Progressives, Indiana
George Cofer, Barton Springs Coalition
Dana Clark, Center for International Environmental Law
George Cofer, Central Texas Environmental Network
Patrick McCully, International Rivers Network
Colin Rajah, Overseas Development Network
Bruce Rich, Environmental Defense Fund
Andrea Durbin, Friends of the Earth U.S.
Kristin Dawkins, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Danny Kennedy, Project Underground
Laura Soriano Morales, South and Meso American Indian Rights Center
Larry Williams, Sierra Club
Shawn Garvey, South Yuba River Citizens League
Smita Malpani, Women's Environment and Development Organization
Mark Dubois, WorldWise

URUGUAY
Silvia Ribeiro, REDES-Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay

INTERNATIONAL
Marcus Colchester, Forest Peoples Programme, World Rainforest Movement
Maurizio Ferrari, World Rainforest Movement
Saskia Ozinga, FERN


INDIVIDUAL ENDORSEMENTS (INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION
PURPOSES ONLY)

AUSTRALIA
Dr George J. Aditjondro, University of Newcastle
Misha Coleman, Monash University

CANADA
Ana Ning, York University
Mike Zmolek, York University

INDIA
Professor Dr. N Bhattacharya, Delhi University
Amit Mitra
Shikhar Sarkar Garg, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat
G.V. Krishnagopal, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat
Apurba Misra, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat
Himanshu Thakker

MEXICO
Scott S. Robinson, Universidad Metropolitana

SOUTH AFRICA
Patrick Bond, University of the Witwatersrand
Professor Bryan R Davies, University of Cape Town
Rebecca Tharme, University of Cape Town

UNITED KINGDOM
Gautam Appa, London School of Economics
George Monbiot, University of East London
Lyla Mehta, Institute for Development Studies, Sussex University
B. Skanthakumar, School Of Oriental And African Studies, London University

UNITED STATES
Nikhil Aziz, University of Denver
Robert M. Ballenger, University of Washington
Sharvey Dhongde, Architect, Intern at Archeworks, Chicago
Rob Efird, University of Washington
Kaushik Ghosh, University of Washington
Amitava Kumar, University of Florida, Gainesville
Guy Lanza, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Samantha Lindsey, University of Washington
Bela Liptak, editor Environmental Engineers' Handbook
John Magistro, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Manabi Majumdar, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
Susan Mayer, Humboldt State University.
Raza Mir, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Aravinda Pillalamarri, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Mahua Sarkar, Johns Hopkins University
V. Kripa Sundar
Hairong Yan, University of Washington








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