THE All India People’s Forum along with Mauja Humta and Mauja Kajibaru Gram Sabhas held a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan (Ranchi) to demand cancellation of the construction of the pending Raysa Reservoir at Gitildih (Humta Mauja), Bundu Block, Ranchi District. After the dharna a memorandum was submitted to Governor Dropdi Murmu with the demand to cancel construction of the Raysa Reservoir Project.
Renowned social activist and AIPF leader Com. Dayamani Barla, addressing the dharna, said that the construction of the Raysa project is actually a grave contravention of Schedule 5 of the Constitution and the CNT Act; therefore it should be revoked without delay. He called on the people of Jharkhand to build a mass people’s struggle to cancel the Raysa project in order to save Jharkhand’s human, natural, and environmental resources.
CPI(ML) State Secretary Com. Janardan Prasad said that no benefit has ever been achieved for farmers, agriculture, or irrigation through big dams, be it Chandil, Damodar, Subarnarekha, Shankh, Koelkaro, North Koel or any other dam. The Raysa dam will also prove to be an extremely destructive project for human and natural resources. Only the industrial world and big corporate houses have benefited from big dams. He pointed out that the tribal community of Jharkhand has a living and organic relationship with the land forests of Jharkhand. Corporate greed is trying to destroy this along with the environment. He said that the Mandal dam in Palamu which the Prime Minister inaugurated with such pomp and show on 5 January will submerge 20 villages completely, whereas only 10 villages adjacent to Bihar will get irrigation through this dam, and most of the river water will continue to go to Bihar as before. The government’s claim that this will solve Palamu’s drought problem is a huge lie, and the people of Jharkhand must fight till all big dams in favour of corporate houses are cancelled and compensation id given for the damage and destruction incurred so far.
