A just compensation system
The land of Mahatma Gandhi has proved inventive in stringing together novel forms of protest. Jal Satyagraha, which involves people standing in neck-deep water for days on end, is the latest phenomenon to pose awkward questions for the Madhya Pradesh government in dealing with protests over the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams.
Going strictly by custom derived from ancient police manuals, governments are rushing forces in very large numbers, some of whom even pull the protesters painfully out of the water. In this regard, the Tamil Nadu government is somewhat fortunate in that agitators protesting against the nuclear power plant hurriedly gave up their Jal Satyagraha in the sea after the waves led to the death of a protester. But in this case there is no direct threat to the livelihood of fishermen living around the plant. The case of those facing eviction because of the dam height should evoke more sympathy as they face the threat of losing everything.
The plight of those holding the satyagraha at grave cost to their health never seems to strike a sympathetic chord with the authorities for whom law and order seems to be the sole mantra. Considering the number of people affected and their just demand for an equitable system of compensating for lost agricultural land with similar fertile land, it cannot be all that difficult for the Madhya Pradesh government to find other parcels of rural land.
Governments must evolve a just system of compensation for people deprived of their traditional homelands for the larger good of the
country.
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