According to Joe Athraly and Nandini Oza of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), Medha Patkar, Pankya Vasave, Bawa Mahariya, Govindhbhai, Sitaram Patidar, Tarabai Patidar, Komal, Ranjit Vasave and Philip Patidar started their fast on Sunday at Domkhedi in Maharashtra. Those on fast are also observing silence.

The fast is part of the non-violent struggle launched some time ago by those opposing the submergence and displacement. At a meeting to be held on July 12, the future course of action will be announced.

Prior to beginning the fast, around 1,500 people took oath on the banks of Narmada to fight against what they called `intimidation and submergence'.

Representatives of a large number of organisations from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and people from the resettlement sites in these states, took part in the meeting where the oath was taken.

Speaking on the occasion, the fasting persons termed the battle being fought now as decisive. One of them said that the fast is to challenge the socio-political system through which what they term as `destructive development' was imposed on the nation and the people.

They alleged that the respective governments had misguided the court about rehabilitation with false affidavits and wrong information.

They claimed that it was an established fact now that there is no land for the resettlement of all oustees from the three states according to the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) or the Supreme Court's directives.