The NBA chief, leading the Manav Adhikar Yatra, arrived in Thane today. ``Since all the supposed benefit is going to Gujarat why is Maharashtra willing to submerge 10,600 hectares of its prime forest land and displacing thousands of villagers from 33 villages?" she asked.

The Yatra aimed to sensitise people on the environmental cost of the SSP was flagged off after the Supreme Court gave its ruling allowing work on the dam to begin. It started from Badwani, Gujarat and is expected to reach Mumbai on Monday before moving further on its way to Delhi. Explaining NBA's plan of action Patkar said, "We will try to get the Union Social Welfare Ministry to intervene and if that fails we plan to seek the intervention of the President.''

She claimed that over 27 per cent of the total power generated by the SSP will amount to nothing with thepassage of years. "Haven't we learnt enough from our follies in Bhakra Nangal which is not producing the power it was expected to?" she asked making a case for disallowing the construction of huge dams.

According to Patkar all the benefits to irrigation are going only to Gujarat. "Even there in long term environmental costs it will lead to losses," she warned citing instances of this already evident in Gujarat. She also charged the Gujarat and Maharashtra governments with trying to get the total dam height raised to 110 meters. The apex court in its recent ruling had allowed for the height to be raised by a further 5 meter from its present height of 80.3 meters. She wondered how a state like Maharashtra which was in the red could afford to allocate Rs 82 crore for the Rs 44,000 crore SSP.

``Environment impact analyses have time and again pointed out the dangers involved but the governments refuse to pay heed to the issues involved," she said and added, "While no compensation can make up for the loss ofancestral lands the government was not willing to even do the obligatory minimum by way of rehabilitation." She further asked, "Then why shouldn't people decide not to leave their homes and accept death by drowning instead."