-- BEGIN included message
- To: thoughts-on-india@coollist.com
- Subject: [Fwd: STOP THE DAM ! ! ! Urgent Action ! ! !]
- From: Vipin Sawhney <ecivksw@eciiw.ericsson.se>
- Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 14:20:50 -0500
- Organization: Ericsson Communications Private Limited
-- BEGIN included message
- To: kashnet@indra.com
- Subject: STOP THE DAM ! ! ! Urgent Action ! ! !
- From: Kashmir290 <Kashmir290@aol.com>
- Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 12:22:16 EST
- Cc: kashmirnet@compuserve.com (Siraj Shah)
- Reply-to: kashnet@indra.com
- Sender: kgn@indra.com
URGENT ACTION ! ! ! PLEASE READ AND ACT ! ! ! An environmental and cultural disaster is about to occur in Kashmir. We must prevent it ! ! ! As I have repeatedly said: the occupiers only care about the land and water of J & K - and absolutely nothing for the people. I mentioned the below news to a fellow Kashmiri student and he mentioned that it would be good, because Kashmir has severe electricity shortages. What this student didn't realize is that hardly a percentage or two will be diverted to J&K, the rest will go for India's consumption, the environment will be ruined, and thousands of peoples' homes will be under water. That's how "development" works under Indian occupation. Furthermore, if another dam is built in J&K, it will be another reason for India to refuse even stronger - independence. Already, India and Pakistan talk of "safe-guarding their water interests" as an excuse for the continuing occupation of J&K. Even more startling, India and Pakistan - despite all their differences - a long time ago signed a water treaty dividing up what is not theirs to divide. Anyway - WE MUST ALL DO SOMETHING TO AVERT THIS COMING DISASTER. Everybody plaese distribute the below article throughout the net - to environmental organizations, human rights organizations, archaeological societies, and groups working for the rights of indigenous peoples. Maybe we can contact such groups in Sweden to put pressure on the Swedish consortium (SCANSA) that is building the dam???? PLEASE PLEASE Lets act on this quickly and without ulterior motives. Let's do this purely to help those Kashmiris who will be unwillingly displaced and for the environmental sanctity of our land. wasalaam. K290 ******************************************************************** Dard Shin tribals say no to dam proposal EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, March 24: The last of about 25,000 Dard Shin tribals living on the border with Pakistan are on the verge of losing their homeland, the famous Gurez valley, which will get submerged in the waters of a dam planned for a power project on the Kishen Ganga river. The 330 MW Kishen Ganga hydro-electric project being built near the line of control along Pakistan in North Kashmir has been commissioned to a Swedish consortium, SCANSA and some Indian companies. The tribals have constituted a committee and threatened to launch an agitation to resist their displacement. "This dam will devour our homeland where our culture has flourished for centuries. It threatens our distinct identity. We will not let ourselves be sacrificed for a developmental project that has least benefits for us," said Farida, a college student of Dawar. The tribals are likely to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to prevent the construction of the dam. As per the plan, the Government was to acquire 7,703 Kanals of cultivatedland, 7,869 Kanals of non-cultivated land and more than 400 Kanals of forest area. The Sub-divisional magistrate, Sopore, has already issued land acquisition notices to seven villages since January. The villages to get submerged are Badwan, Fakirpora, Wampora, Khandiyal, Mastan Khopri, Markote and Dawar. Ashraf Sahil, director, All India Radio Kashmir, said, "This displacement will not only endanger a language and a particular ethnic community but also their homeland along with the significant archaeological treasure of their glorious past. Even the famous silk route had been via this Gurez valley. The tribe will be uprooted and annihilated and will eventually be lost in the din and chaos of their new modern houses." According to the Managing director, Power Development Corporation, 961 families of these tribals will be displaced. Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + K A S H M I R G L O B A L N E T W O R K <<<<<< KASHNET >>>>>> + ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + The opinions expressed in this post may not necessarily be the ones + + endorsed by the Kashnet administrators. http://www.indra.com/~kgn + + To join, send "subscribe kashnet" message to <majordomo@indra.com> + + To leave, send "unsubscribe kashnet" message to <majordomo@indra.com>+ + Send comments and inquiries to: kgn@indra.com + ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-- END included message
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