Hindustan Times ( 03 May
2017 ) carries following news report :
“MP all set to declare Narmada river , a
living entity “
The Madhya Pradesh government will bring a resolution in the state
assembly on Wednesday to have a regulatory framework to declare Narmada river a
living entity, the first state in the country to do so.
The officials said the passage of the resolution, which is a foregone
conclusion, would be followed by the process to enact a law to declare river a
living entity.
That would mean that the government
will have to declare a custodian of the river, who can ensure its protection.
The Uttrakhand high court in its
judgment in March declared Ganga and Yamuna rivers as living entities and gave
them legal rights. The court made state chief secretary as the custodian of the
river in the hill state.
The official said declaring a river a living entity had a flip side as
anyone can sue the river for causing damage such as during floods.
The
government, on behalf of the river, can also penalise someone for causing
pollution or damaging the river’s aquatic life.
“For instance, if a person’s house is
damaged in a flood or a life is lost due to it he could also move the court to
seek compensation and file a criminal case against the river,” the official
said.
That is why, he
said , the government was considering what would be the rights of people and
what would be the rights of Narmada river if it was declared a living entity.
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I just overheard river Narmada , think
aloud :
What can I expect to happen to me if I cease
to be a “ river “ and become a “ woman “ Narmada ?
Will I ,
·
Get aborted from the darkness of my
mother’s womb ?
·
Get abused in childhood in broad daylight ?
·
Suffer indignity of a “ girl child “ , all my life ?
·
Be deprived of the freedom that my
brother enjoys ?
·
Be prevented from using a cell phone or wearing jeans ?
·
Get harassed when not “ harnessed “
to household chores ?
·
Get gang-raped for loving a boy from
another caste ?
·
Made to walk naked in my village for eloping with my lover ?
·
Be forced to sit in a corner during menstrual periods ?
·
Be told that it is OK for my drunk
husband to beat me ?
·
Be forced to leave my marriage when
my husband says “ Talaq , Talaq, Talaq “ ?
·
Be prevented to enter a Mandir / Masjid , to pray for my salvation ?
·
Be expected to commit suicide when my
parents cannot pay dowry ?
·
Be required to worship my husband who treats me inhumanly ?
I could not hear
the last few words uttered by river Narmada but I suspect these to be :
“ MLAs of MP ,
Please
, leave me alone !
Even in my life as a river , you have
heaped upon me enough suffering
Do not make my life worse by calling
me , a living “ Mata Narmada “
!
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