GANGA 56th Issue | Page 8

then the German power utilities Bayernwerk

Rivers, Urgewald, the NBA and other

and VEW Energie withdrew from the

human rights groups have successfully

Maheshwar Project. Subsequently, in June,

persuaded western financial institutions not

2000, a team of international experts

to lend money to build the dam. The

commissioned by the Development Ministry

important victory for the struggling people

of the German government visited the valley

of the Narmada valley is the withdrawal of

and came out with a report that sharply

German multinational company Siemens

indicted the Project. In the wake of the

and the German Hypovereinsbank from the

report, Siemens was compelled to withdraw

project in 2000.

its application for an export guarantee from

In October 2015, the National Green

the German government, and a proposed

Tribunal, in a brief order, reiterated its

loan of Rs.5700 million from a German

earlier directions to the 400 MW Maheshwar

bank fell through. On December 13th, 2000,

project proponents to neither lower nor close

Ogden Corporation joined the procession of

its dam gates, nor cause any submergence

companies that were forced to withdraw

without completing the resettlement and

from the Maheshwar project.

rehabilitation (R&R) of affected people. The

In early 2006, after a gap of five years, work

order validates the people’s claim that the

on one of the largest planned dams in the

R&R has not kept up with the project

Narmada

impacts as stipulated.

valley

-

the

long-contested

400MW Maheshwar Hydropower Project -

Apart from that last year, lenders to the

had resumed, only to be stopped again by

project met and virtually decided to take

the Government of India in June 2006. The

over the project from the hands of its private

dam would submerge the fertile lands and

promoters,

homes of 100,000 people. On June 9, 2006,

Kumars). This vindicates both the criticism

the government ruled that all construction on

of the project based on its performance on

the dam must cease immediately. Human

R&R front, as well as the questions raised

rights and water activists hope that this is the

about the wisdom of privatizing the project.

the

MW

Corp

(earlier

S

final nail in the coffin of the Maheshwar
project. Resistance to the dam has always

Editor- Sujit Choudhury, Published by

been fierce. Thousands of farmers, laborers

IRBMS

and fishermen have repeatedly occupied the

Management Society)

construction site. Meanwhile, International

(Cover map from www.narmada.org Site )

(©

Integrated

River

Basin

8

Integrated River Basin Management Society