Chronology of YAMUNA SATYAGRAHA by YOUTH FOR JUSTICE
2 Aug to 15th August 2007
Youth for Justice, farmers of Yamuna khaddar and Sunil Parbhakar joins Yamuna Satyagraha. The farmers admirably took responsibility to maintain the Satyagraha sthal. Youth for Justice provided the much needed youth energy for the movement.
Press conferences, folk songs, inviting people/NGOs/polticians from Delhi and outside to sit on satyagraha. Foreign media too troops in. On 15th august, we staged a march to the stream of Yamuna to hoist tri-colour. Yamuna was in good flow but devoid of its flood plains. Unable to meander like a river and recharge the flood plain aquifers.
18th Aug- "YOUTH FOR YAMUNA" WAS LAUNCHED WITH STUDENTS FROM DELHI SCHOOL OF SOCIALWORK
19 August,
SATYAGRAHA IN WELL
Satyagrahis barricaded inside the games village site, pressured to move out. In protest, Sunil Parbhakar(25 years) get down in an abandoned dry well and resumes his satyagraha inside the well, with a chameleon and a snake as his co satyagrahis.
Medha patkar, Ch. Ramkaran solanki( head of 360 villages of Delhi), Govindacharya, C.V.Rajagopal and others gather at the satyagraha sthal.
18th September
STALLING PROCEEDINGS OF DELHI ASSEMBLY.
Sunil Parbhakar and Kapil Mishra and other young boys and girls from Youth for Justice along with Diwan Singh from Natural Heritage First enter Delhi assembly and stall the proceedings, demanding discussion on Yamuna. Boys taken into police custody. Then there were long discussions on Yamuna in Assembly
27th September
Yamuna satyagraha co-organises a function along with Shahid Bhagat Singh Brigade at Sur Ghat near Wazirabad. The function was organized on birth day of Shahid Bhagat Singh.
2nd October
300 people march from Yamuna Satyagraha sthal to Raj Ghat.
10th October
March to Supreme Court- students of Aravalli Inst. Of Manamgement, Jal Biradari, Youth for Justice, NHF and others totalling more than 200 marches to supreme Court to demand justice for the river. Outnumbered and surrounded by police.
24th October
24 hours Yamuna satyagraha starts at NH-8, opposite hotel raddison at Mahipal Pur. Harvinder Rana , a local youth volunteer and his friends take the initiative.
Youth for Justice organizes a huge aarti samaroh for Yamuna at Wazirabad with more than 500 people joining it on the bank of river Yamuna at Sonia Vihar.
12th November
A delegation led by Shri Kuldeep Nayar including Dr. Vikram Soni and Diwan singh from NHF and Manoj Mishra from Peace Institute meets the Group of Ministers.
18th November
Candle march organized by Youth for Justice at Central Park in Cannaught Place, warning the government against turning Yamuna Flood plains into another Nandigram.
22nd November
TEMPORARY MORATORIUM – Dr. Vikram Soni and his team’s efforts tastes success. At a meeting of YRDA attended by 40 technical experts from various fields, the LG declares temporary moratorium on further constructions on Yamuna Flood Plains subject to further studies. CGWB commissioned to do further studies and directed to work with Dr Soni’s team.
1 Dec to 9th Dec
Yamuna Bhujal Bachao Yatra organized in all the villages and colonies along both banks in Delhi. Led by Rajender Singh, NGOs and farmers join hands to spread awareness about the significance of Yamuna for ground water recharge.
Dec
Message to save flood plains displayed at the back of more than 125 Auto Rickshaws with the help of NyayaBhoomi. We can still find these.
Dec
NHF and Youth for Justice and farmers of Yamuna Khadar protests the dissection of yamuna Flood plains by building slip roads in a wrong manner at Vikas Marg.
21 Feb, 2008
Panel discussion at Indian Women Press Corps(IWPC), co organized by NHF, attended by Kuldeep Singh( former Justice, SC), Kuldeep Nayar, Rajender Singh, Dr. Vikram Soni, Vandana Shiva, M.C.Mehta and Bhure Lal. The topic was preservation of natural resources in Delhi.
March
We could not afford to stand mute witness to laborers’ death at Games Village site. Youth for Justice and NHF raised the issue, agitated against unhygienic conditions at the construction site. With support from media, we managed to force the authorities to clean the site and make it hygienic and the deaths stopped.
21 March
Activists burn effigy of Shiela Dixit on occasion of Holi to protest construction of Games village at flood Plains.
Dr. Soni meets Shri Kapil Sibal, heading the ministry of Science and Technology to seek his support for protection of natural resources of the city.
5 June
7 day Yamuna Yatra from Delhi to Agra launched. Organized by Youth for Justice with support from farmers, and NHF, the yatris did overnight stay in the villages or towns along the Yamuna and enjoyed hospitality of local people. It helped in lot of sensitization and awareness raising. Crucial for future campaigns.
Security guards at Games Village not paid salary. Again an instance of injustice right next to us. The poor youth who had come from far away villages in country to serve as security guard at the Games village were subject to exploitation. We again agitated, went to Police etc. Finally, the guards got their salary.
Meeting sports minister Mr.M.S.Gill. Shri Kuldeep Nayar used his good offices to arrange this meeting.
NHF has completes a video film on the water recharge potential of Yamuna Flood Plains and the’ PRESERVE and USE’ scheme proposed. The film is shown to the LG
28th,29th,30th July
Rajender Singh decided to take the message of Yamuna satyagraha to the entire country and launched the ‘nadi sangrakshan satyagraha’. Three day camp was organized at Bal Bhavan in Delhi. Water activists from all over the country attended it.
Cash for vote scam- Youth for Justice and NHF participated in the protest demonstration at India gate. Kept in police custody till late mid night.
Candle march in Central Park organized by Youth for Justice and Aryan Foundation against apathy of judiciary towards the Yamuna cause.
1 Sept
George Fernandez visits Yamuna Satyagraha sthal and admits mistake of NDA in permitting Akshardham Mandir on the flood plains
11 Sept
March to PM’s address venue- satyagrahis taken into custody
Youth for Justice, NHF, and farmers stage protest march to Vigyan Bhavan, the venue of Ground water Congress addressed by Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh. The marchers taken into police custody for through out the day.
23rd September
MORATORIUM SEALED- At the concluding meeting of YRDA, CGWB presented conclusions of its study in response to the study by Dr. Soni’s team. CGWB accepts the water recharge potential of flood plains. The Lt. Governor announces sealing the moratorium.
28th September
Diwan Singh represents Yamuna Satyagraha on World Rivers’day at a function held at Budwani in M.P, organized by Narmada Bachao Andolan.
6th October
At a function held at IIC, Lodhi Road, the LG once again announces his commitment to preserve the yamuna Flood Plains for water recharge and bio-diversity and lauds the role played by Dr. Soni and his team.
Onwards
Since then our activities have mainly been confined to a passive mode. The farmers along with some satyagrahis have been maintaining the satyaraha sthal and continuing with relay hunger strike to demand stop to work on Common Wealth Games village.
