The Pioneer 06.12.2010
Development of NVDA to become campaign of the massesStaff Reporter | Bhopal
Experiencing a number of hurdles in bringing up major irrigation projects in the valley during past, Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) have found its solution in people’s pro-project support.
The NVDA has all set to launch an action plan from New Year to mobilise the people of the valley to involve themselves in the process of development. Disclosing the action plan, the chairman NVDA, KL Agrawal said that major irrigation projects involve shifting of habitat, which causes displeasure among the people. In the beginning, it was difficult to make people understand about the benefits of these projects. Now after the completion of Maan and Jobat irrigation projects and their success in the form of watering 71 thousand acres land in Dhar district, have changed the people’s opposition into the support. This has also sent positive signals in all over the valley. Taking this into consideration NVDA has decided to put a long-term action plan in all over the Narmada Valley to seek public support and transform the valley development into the people’s campaign.
Agrawal informed that river Narmada have had religious and cultural belief in the minds of tens of thousands of the people of the valley. We would try to link this belief with the development through the Narmada and its tributaries. For this a theme song of Narmada valley development has been composed in the voice of famous singer and Lata Mangeshkar awardee Anuradha Paudwal and well known male singer Suresh Wadekar. An officer who has worked for more than a decade with the authority, Adil Khan has penned this theme song for the action plan.
The CD’s of the song would be made available to Janpad Panchayats and village Panchayats in the valley besides would be aired through Akashwani and Doordarshan. Chairman informed that a documentary film is in the process of making with Madhya Pradesh Maadhyam. The film would be screened through Doordarshan and local channels to educate the people about how major irrigation projects are capable to bring great socio-economic changes within the community.
Elaborating action plan, Agrawal said that looking at the illiteracy in remote areas of the valley action plan includes staging of street plays in villages so to make aware people about their rehabilitation rights and benefits of the proposed projects. If found effective, puppet shows would also be organised in the villages. Agrawal informed that NVDA’s action plan would target the young generation of the farmers of the valley which are basically inclined towards the development of farm-sector and does not entertain anything which delays the process of development.
The chairman said that preparations for this action plan are going on and it will be launched from January 2011. The action plan is also in compliance of the promise made by the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to the farmers of the state that farming would be no more business of loss in the state, Agrawal added.
