Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) will on Friday start its 'rally for the valley' from Indore to resume its protest against increasing the water level of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the submergence of villages that it will cause.NBA leader Medha Patkar told reporters here on Thursday that a 'Narmada Jal-Zameen Haq Satyagrah' (Satyagrah for Narmada water and land rights) will also start on Saturday in Badwani district of Madhya Pradesh.She said the government has been increasing the water level of Sardar Sarovar Dam against the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court and is preparing to close the dam with gates.
"About 45,000 families have yet to be rehabilitated. Only 50 families in Madhya Pradesh have been rehabilitated," Patkar said, accompanied by CPI-M state secretary Badal Saroj.Madhya Pradesh is not going to get even a drop of water from Sardar Sarovar and yet it's the people of this state who are most affected by the project, she said.Increasing the water level means that entire human habitations, including arable land, animals and trees, would be submerged, she said.The only people who will benefit from increasing the water level are those belonging to big business, such as Adani and Ambani, she said.