Dahanu, Maharashtra:
Nearly 700 Adivasis marched from Dahanu to Virar to protest against the construction of Susri-Dharan Dam in Dahanu town of Maharashtra. The dam is being built to divert water for residents of Vasai and Virar. The protesters were agitating against the government's decision to acquire land to build the dam. The Vasai-Virar municipal corporation had demanded the construction of the dam to ease water problems in the area.
The dam will be built over an area of 2293 acres of land. Most of this land belongs to Adivasis and they say they are unwilling to part with their land. Brian Lobo from the Kashtakari Sangathana, who was leading the protests said "We are residents of Dahanu. We are Adivasis. Our lands, our forests are situated in Dahanu. The government will drown these lands and forests to build the dam. When the dam is built our lives will be ruined and the water will be supplied to the city. We demand that dams be built on rivers flowing through Vasai and Virar. Don't build dams on our land."
Lobo added that the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) had assured them that a dam will not be built there but in spite of that the administration is going ahead with the project. "5000 people will be affected and 13 Adivasi villages will be submerged due to the construction of the project", he stated.
The villagers at the gathering told NDTV that they were not interested in compensation and rehabilitation. They said they wanted the project to be cancelled so that their land is not taken away.