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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">The following statement supporting the NBA demands has been
sent to the Prime Minister and other officials on behalf of JSA
today.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">Regards,</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">Abhay</FONT></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<HR>
</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">To,<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 5">
<EM>
</EM></SPAN></SPAN></TT><FONT face="Courier New"><st1:date Month="4" Day="14"
Year="2006"><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">14 April
2006</SPAN></I></st1:date><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Shri Manmohan Singh,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Prime Minister,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Government of
</SPAN></TT><st1:country-region><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">India</SPAN></TT></st1:place></st1:country-region><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">, <o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><st1:City><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">New Delhi</SPAN></TT></st1:place></st1:City><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 5">
</SPAN><I><o:p></o:p></I></SPAN></TT></P>
<DIV><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">Dear
Prime Minister,</SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR></SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"> </SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR><FONT
face="Courier New">As representatives of</FONT> </SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">Jan
Swasthya Abhiyan, a nationwide coalition of 18 national networks and several
hundred organisations working on community health and health rights issues, we
want to express our deep concern on developments regarding the Narmada Bachao
Andolan (NBA) and its fight for justice for the thousands displaced by the
Sardar Sarovar Dam. </SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR></SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"> </SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR></SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">Ms.
Medha Patkar, Mr. Jamsingh Nargave and Mr. Bhagwati Patidam have been on an
indefinite fast for two weeks already, to protest the gross negligence of your
Government in providing timely and appropriate rehabilitation to those displaced
by the project. <I>We note with concern that the health of the three
fasters is beginning to deteriorate on their 16th day of indefinite hunger
fast.</I> It is indeed regretful that in response to the fast, your
administration had sent in a posse of over 400 police to forcibly arrest Ms..
Patkar and Mr. Nargave. Media reports indicate that several peaceful activists
of the NBA were beaten up. This violent and unjust response to peaceful and
democratic protests is a violation of the democratic traditions of
</SPAN></TT><st1:country-region><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">India</SPAN></TT></st1:place></st1:country-region><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">
and is a blot on your Government. </SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR></SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN></TT></DIV>
<DIV><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"> It
is well documented that the Sardar Sarovar Project has displaced tens of
thousands of indigenous peoples and farmers, very few of who have been fairly
compensated and rehabilitated. The adverse impact of this displacement on
the lives and health of the people in the </SPAN></TT><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">Narmada</SPAN></TT></st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">
valley is widely recognised.</SPAN></TT></DIV>
<DIV><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US"></SPAN></TT> </DIV>
<DIV><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US">
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The adverse health impacts of this displacement have
been presented by JSA representatives before the National Human Rights
Commission and </SPAN></TT><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Union</SPAN></TT></st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> government health officials, during the National Public
hearing on Right to Health on 16-17 December 2004.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></TT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The move to further increase the dam height is
completely unwarranted when families who were promised rehabilitation (and have
still to receive it) are sitting for justice in the streets of
</SPAN></TT><st1:City><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Delhi</SPAN></TT></st1:place></st1:City><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">. Independent reports estimate that thousands of people
spread over 200 villages in the project-affected areas still await basic
rehabilitation. </SPAN></TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">Supporti</SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ng the NBA’s main demands, we call upon your Government
to <B><I>immediately undertake a thorough assessment</I></B> of the Sardar
Sarovar Project on economic, social, environmental and developmental
parameters.<B><I> Until such an assessment, with the active participation of
affected communities, is done we believe that a standstill in project
construction is a just and reasonable demand. </I></B></SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><BR></SPAN><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><BR>The National
Alliance of People’s Movements, to which NBA is affiliated, is one of the
constituent networks of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan. JSA is committed
to</SPAN><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> continue its support to the struggle
by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, to ensure that your Government does full justice
to the people of the </SPAN></TT><st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Narmada</SPAN></TT></st1:place><TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> valley. </SPAN></TT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><BR><BR>Yours
Sincerely,<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 8">
</SPAN><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">(Jan Swasthya
Abhiyan)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></SPAN></TT></DIV></FONT></TT></BODY></HTML>