gambhira

A great victory for Kanhar leader Gambhira Prasad that he got elected as Village Pradhan in recently held Panchayat election in Sonbhadra District, UP with record votes even after he was released from jail after seven months in November.

This was not palateable to administration and local vested interests Kanhar dalit leaders Gambhira Prasad and Pankaj Gautam were again arrested on breach of peace three days before by SDM Dudhi, Sonbhadra, u/s 151 when they were called by SDM and Tehsildar to discuss a programme called by Kanhar struggling people to mark 23rd Dec as ” Sankalp Diwas” (Pledge day). It was this day in 2014 last year the agitation against Kanhar dam was started by the local people in the Kanhar valley.

Both the leaders have been sent to Mirzapur Jail  for 14 days, CO Dudhi (DSP) threatened that the leaders could further be implicated with Goonda Act if they do not stop organizational activities and organizing people of Kanhar. CO said that Gambhira Prasad a elected Pradhan is threat to law and order in the area and he has been arrested by consulting all the senior officials of the district.

The administration got threatened by Leader Gambhira Prasad who was elected as Village Pradhan by vill Korchi by record votes in the recently held panchayat election in UP in Kanhar valley. The administration and vested interest want that no one should interfere in their illegal activities of granting compensation, construction and other activities in the name of Kanhar Dam.

Gambhira and other six activist Rajkumari, Sokalo Gond, Ashrafi Yadav, Lakshman Bhuiya, Pankaj Gautam and Roma were in jail for long period. Gambhira and Pankaj were in jail for last 7 months were released in November 2015 only. Their rearrest on a very trivial charges in blatant attack on the democratic and constitutional rights of the struggling people. This act of Administration and UP Government is condemnable and it should be protested in all means.

UP Govt is loosing its ground on the construction of this illegal Kanhar Dam that is very clear from the report below where the UP PCCF(Forest) was pulled up by the National Green Tribunal.

The report is given below.

Pl write to CM UP and others to condemn the illegal arrest of Gambhira Prasad and Pankaj Gautam.

Shri Akhilesh Yadav
Chief Minister
Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
Fax: 0522 2236838
Email: [email protected]

 

Chief Secretary
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
Fax: +91 522 2239283
Email: [email protected]

DGP Uttar Pradesh
1, Tilak Marg, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
Fax: 0552-2206120
Email: [email protected]

District Magistrate,
Sonbhadra,
Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
Email: [email protected]

Superintendent of Police
Sonbhadra,
Uttar Pradesh,INDIA
Email: [email protected]

KANHAR DAM: Committee admits that their Report contains flaws and shortcomings, NGT gives last opportunity

In a major breakthrough in the case, the Committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal to report on the status of Kanhar Dam today admitted before the bench of judges that the report has shortcomings and it does not address the critical information sought by the court in its judgment of 7th May, 2015.  Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-Uttar Pradesh was called upon by the Hon’ble justice Swatanter Kumar in its order dated 10th December, 2015. The matter was taken up at end of the board and five bench judges discussed with the Committee Chairperson (PCCF) Shri Umendra in chamber in presence of the advocates for both the parties.

Judges Dissatisfied with the Report

The judges showed great dissatisfaction with the quality of report and specifically sought information on the delay in filing the report and absence of any comment from representative from IIT Kanpur. A detailed clarification is sought for the inadequate information on Resettlement & Rehabilitation in all three states-Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand & Chhattisgarh. One of the judicial member of the bench sought clarification on the lack of specific figures on the number of affected families by the project in all the three states. The bench also showed great dissatisfaction on the status of afforestation, survival rate of which is reported to be just 12.68%.

Last Opportunity to the Committee

The bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar granted the committee a last opportunity to submit a comprehensive report in 3 weeks. The next date of hearing is fixed on 4th January, 2015

Warned Against Any New Construction

Taking serious note on the contempt application filed by the petitioners claiming that the State has started construction of spillway which is a new construction in the garb of the permission given by the court to complete old work-Justice Swatanter Kumar warned that they should strictly adhere to the directions of the court and if any anomaly is found, there will be adverse orders. The bench directed the committee to make distinct references to the pending works and new work which is being taken up.

Additional Information

Today’s order of NGT can be accessed from

http://greentribunal.gov.in/Writereaddata/Downloads/14-2015(PB-I)RA14-12-2015.pdf

The Report filed by the committee can be accessed from www.vindhyabachao.org/kanhar