Kejriwal sympathises with dharna in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan requesting him to look into the demands of the people affected by the Omkareshwar dam project in Khandwa district and resolve the issues pertaining to their rehabilitation.

Over 20 farmers have been on ' jal satyagraha' since April 11, standing in waist-deep waters of Narmada river at Gogalgaon in Khandwa to protest against the increase in water level of Omkareshwar dam from 189 metres to 191 metres by the state government.

The protesters allege that people displaced by the Omkareshwar project have neither been compensated nor rehabilitated, a charge outrightly denied by the Madhya Pradesh government.

In his letter to Chouhan yesterday, Kejriwal said, "I tried to contact you over phone since last couple of days. But owing to your tight schedule, I couldn't get through. I wanted to talk to you over this serious and vexed issue. Agitation over the rehabilitation of people affected by the Omkareshwar dam is going on in the Narmada Valley. I have been associated with this agitation for quite a long time."

"You, I and your government, court and agitators wish that the affected people should properly be rehabilitated. If they are shifted before rehabilitation, it will amount to injustice to them," the letter further reads.

"Some dam oustees are staging Jal Satyagraha for 10 days over the issue. I will be grateful if you talk to them and come out with some fool-proof solution to their rehabilitation," Kejriwal said.