Jaipur/Udaipur: Tribal social and political groups intensified their agitation ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Banswara Thursday, when he will be laying the foundation stone for the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP).Several organisations launched a sit-in at Banswara district headquarters on Tuesday, alleging that families displaced by the proposed nuclear plant neither received fair compensation nor were properly rehabilitated. They warned that protests would continue until the govt and project authorities provide written assurances on their key demands.Protesters are seeking a written commitment from the Rajasthan govt to allot land to currently landless displaced families and to give 1,750 displaced families and other local residents first priority in employment at the nuclear plant.Highlighting the plight of families displaced during the construction of the Mahi Dam in the 1970s and 1980s, Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat said, “The Supreme Court has ruled that a family cannot be displaced twice in their lifetime; yet many families are facing displacement again in violation of the court’s order. This must be thoroughly investigated”.Roat informed that 40 fishermen families — resettled by the state govt in 2001 after the original Mahi Dam displacement — now face uprooting once again even though they were never compensated for their first displacement. “They approached the High Court in 2015, and they must be granted appropriate compensation along with what was earlier promised,” he insisted.“Our charter of demands calls for at least 70% of the project’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds being spent within the affected gram panchayats, blocks, and extended Banswara district”, he said. “We also want a joint committee of revenue officials and local representatives to identify all families displaced by the project. The current estimate of 1,300 affected families is far too low,” he added. MBRAPP is a joint venture of NTPC Ltd and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) that will feature four indigenously developed 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) with a total capacity of 2,800 MW. Planned near the Mahi River, upstream of the Mahi Bajaj Sagar reservoir, the plant is to be built in Napla village and is expected to impact residents of at least five surrounding villages.“Our non-negotiable demands include compensation for Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 patta holders whose land was acquired without payment,” said Bharatiya Tribal Party state president Vela Ram Ghogra. “We also seek a time-bound commitment to build a modern school, medical facilities, and a mini-secretariat in the displaced area,” he added.Highlighting the region’s chronic power shortages, OBC Adhikar Manch coordinator Naresh Patel called for the establishment of a grid sub-station to provide 24-hour free electricity to all displaced and affected families.Roat is also demanding the public release of NPCIL’s environment and radiation-safety report, the withdrawal of police cases filed against demonstrators, and compensation for tribal families left out of the Relief and Rehabilitation package.Protest leaders said they expect the Prime Minister to address these long-standing issues during his visit and warned that the sit-in will continue until there are clear, written agreements on matters critical to tribal livelihoods and rights.
