ISLAMABAD— While observing hunger strike, dozens activists of Sindhu Bachao Tarla has submitted their memorandum to World Bank and also arranged protest demonstration in front of the World Bank office with a purpose to highlight sufferings and plight mainly caused by Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project.
These activists of Sindhu Bachao Tarla (SBT) Friday organized a hunger strike and protest demonstration in front of the World Bank office, Islamabad. They refused the World Bank invitation for a meeting to resolve the long-standing issue on the grounds that they would not come for meeting till their demands not included as a meeting agenda. However, they have also warned that they will launch "Occupy World Bank" campaign in near future if their demands are not positively responded.
These protesting activists who are in fact the affecttees of these world bank funded projects, have chanted slogans in favour of their demands and also against the projects of World Bank. They were chanting different and unique slogans including " get out World Bank, International Looter World bank, White Elephant World Bank, Alleged criminal of weakening Pakistani economy, and responsible of Muzaffargarh devastations etc".
They have said that it was the failure of newly rehabilitated Taunsa Barrage with the help of foreign loan totaling Rs 10 billion that led to the devastation of Muzaffargarh District in Punjab Province. They were of the view that the barrage was failed mainly because of wrong project design, lack of attention to upraising and strengthening protective embankments, dysfunctional computerized control system of hoist gates and absence of hill-torrents managements. Farooq Mehram, a folk singer also present on the protest demonstration has said that the main purpose of this hunger strike is to highlight their suffering and plight caused by the World Bank funded Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project. It is little attempt to awake the world bank from deep slumber that had bad impact on the area and community which was also multiplied during last year floodings.
Fazal-e-Rab Lund, a leader of Sinhu Bachao Tala has said that the purpose of holding two days hunger strike is to highlight the following key demands:
First, both the World Bank and provincial government should initiate the process of accountability in the light of the report of Punjab Judicial Flood Inquiry Tribunal. The report clearly relates the structural failure and subsequent devastating floods in Muzaffargarh District with some ill-designed aspects of the World Bank funded
Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project.
Secondly, the World Bank should cancel the loan of Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project with the commitment of provincial government allocating it for the rehabilitation of severely affected local communities. Third, the World Bank should stop the financing of newly started similar rehabilitation project for Jinnah Barrage. Not only the project deliberately ignores cost effective alternative options but it is also bound to cause huge financial losses to local communities due to the prolonged and irregular irrigation supplies during the construction phase. Fourth, the World Bank should ensure the fulfillment of all commitments with respects to compensation of losses made in the resettlement plan of Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project.
These activists of SBT have also submitted memorandum in favour of their demands. According to the submitted memorandum, "We the indigenous people and fisher folk from Mianwali and Muzaffargarh districts have gathered here from the platform of Sindhu Bachao Tarla to observe two-day hunger strike in front of the World Bank to protest against the Bank's ill planned investment in Punjab Barrages Rehabilitation Project at both Taunsa and Jinnah Barrages.
We the activists of SBT are holding two-day hunger strike in front of the World Bank office to highlight our sufferings and plight caused by the World Bank funded Taunsa Barrage Emergency Rehabilitation and Modernization Project (TBERMP), the failure of which caused massive devastation in Muzaffargarh district during flood in 2010.
Even before the last year flood, Sindhu bachao Tarla (SBT) had raised its concerns regarding the flawed design of the TBERMP and its implication on the lives and livelihoods of the people living in the close vicinity of Taunsa Barrage. However, the WB never took our concerns seriously. Rather the bank always dismissed our claims and concerns on so called technical and technocratic grounds.
The failure of newly rehabilitated Taunsa Barrage with the help of foreign loan totalling Rs 10 billion led to the devastation of Muzaffargarh district in Punjab province. The barrage failed mainly because of wrong project design, lack of attention to upraising and strengthening protective embankments, dysfunctional computerized system of hoist gates and absence of hill-torrents management.
The SBT apprehends that the Bank-funded rehabilitation of Jinnah Barrage is likely to prove more disastrous than the TBERMP.
The purpose of holding two days hunger strikes is to highlight the following key demands:
First, both the World Bank and provincial government should initiate the process of accountability in the light of the report of Punjab Judicial Flood Inquiry Tribunal. The report clearly reflects the structural and subsequent devastating floods in Muzaffargarh District with some ill-designed aspects of the World Bank funded Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project.
Secondly, the World Bank should cancel the loan of Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation Project with the commitment of provincial government allocating it for the rehabilitation of severely affected local communities.
Third, the World Bank should stop the financing of newly started similar rehabilitation project for Jinnah Barrage. Not only the project deliberately ignored cost effective alternative options but it is also bound to cause huge financial losses to local communities due to the prolong and irregular irrigation supplies during the construction phase. Similarly, the manipulation of river flows during the construction work at the barrage will increase flooding and land losses.
Fourth, the world bank should ensure the fulfilment of all commitments with respect to compensation of losses made in the resettlement plan of Taunsa barrage rehabilitation project".
Tariq Khattak,
Columnist, Feature Writer,
Editor Pakistan Media Group &
Editor Commerce, Pakistan Observer,
Ali Akbar House, G-8 Markaz, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Cells: 0300/0333-9599007, Ph. 051-2852027/8. Fax 2262258
Tariq Khattak, Islamabad, Pakistan.
GSM = 0300-9599007 and 0333-9599007
Email: Tariqgulkhattak@gmail.com
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