After coining the term Andolanjeevi, Modi government has come up with a special punishment for them

Dam Safety bill, 2019 to take formal shape as a law of the land
The bill provides stringent punishments for people and organisations involved in halting developmental projects
More such laws are required to stop Aandolanjeevis whose sole purpose is to stop the nation’s progress

In his two-decade-old political journey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has witnessed lots of disturbing forces which were hell-bent on obstructing the developmental processes. He termed them Andolanjeevi (someone who survives through organising protests). Now, the Modi government has come up with a specific legal punishment to deal with them.

Rajya Sabha passes THE DAM SAFETY BILL, 2019:

On Friday, 2nd December 2021, Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the parliament passed THE DAM SAFETY BILL, 2019. Since the bill has already been given a nod from Lok Sabha in August 2019; it will become law as soon as President Ram Nath Kovind gives his final approval to it.

The bill is mainly aimed towards protecting and preserving 5,745 large dams in India, of which 293 are over 100 years old. The bill provides for the establishment of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) on a national level. The committee will be headed by the chairman of the Central water commission (CWC). He will be assisted by 10 appointees of central government and 7 appointees of state governments. The policies formulated by NCDS will be implemented by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), which is to be established within 60 days of the bill becoming a law. States have been given the role of formulating and establishing a State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) within 180 days.

Punishment for fake activists obstructing the nation’s development:

One of the least talked about aspects of the bill is the provision of penal penalties for anyone obstructing the authorities. Section 41, 42 and 43 of the bill combinedly provide that: –

If anyone is found obstructing any officer or employee of the Central Government or the State Government in the discharge of his functions related to any dam, then that person can be penalised by the legal system of the country.
In case of non-serious offences, the person can be imprisoned for one year. Alternatively, he/she can be fined as well.
If authorities are satisfied, he/she will have to simultaneously bear both punishments of paying fine as well as being imprisoned.
In case the obstructionist causes loss of lives or imminent danger, he/she shall be punishable with a two-year term.
In case the obstruction is caused by a company or a Government department, then the heads of the respective organisations will face the charges.
All above-mentioned penal punishments are also applicable to the National Committee or the Authority or the State Committee or the State Dam Safety Organisation in the discharge of their functions.

Penal Provisions for obstructionists-A much-awaited reform:

Penal provisions for obstructionists are one of the most significant provisions in the bill. In the last few decades, India has witnessed a huge upsurge in organisations and individuals, who ostensibly want to derail the government’s project. These organisations have no serious agendas like the welfare of the people in mind.

A major chunk of these hindrance-causing elements are Non-Government Organisations claiming to work for the poor and downtrodden. Mostly funded by foreign-based big corporate lobbies, their main job is to stop any kind of reforms for the poor and downtrodden section of the county. Their final aim is to maintain an environment of chaos and dissatisfaction in the country so that they keep getting their fundings.

Lessons learnt from Narmada Bachao Aandolan:

Narmada Bachao Aandolan started by activist Medha Patkar has been the biggest blockage movement in the history of independent India. Through court actions, hunger strikes, rallies, etc, Patkar continued obstructing the welfare intentioned Dam Project. The Indian government did all in its power to make them understand that the Dam being constructed on Narmada will eventually benefit people more, but the activists continued their illogical protests.

Similar other protests have been taking place in India’s public space. It has become a pass time for academicians, failed film stars, and social media activists to pick any issue and rally people against the government. They give no forethought behind their actions and their ‘unintended’ consequence on the social fabric of India.

With the introduction of penal provisions for illogical, self-righteous, virtue-signalling protesters, India is getting ready to harness the hydroelectricity capacity in the country. Similar stringent provisions are required for protesters causing barricades in other developmental projects.

Comments 1

Jagan N Kaushik says:
2 months ago
Penal Provisions against illogical, destructive & violent protests are a must in a Democracy, where law breaking, at the cost of hampering the development, resulting in to huge losses to the exchequer, is taken for granted.
In fact, procession must be totally peaceful, disciplined & should be allowed only after being permitted by the competent authority, with a clear undertaking that if processionists become violent & cause inconvenience to the general public or damage public/private properties, then the organizers would wholly be held responsible for it that it is the organizers, who would have to pay the fine & compensation for the damage.
Jai Hind !