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Alok Agarwal

Overview

Alok Agarwal is an Indian social activist associated with people's movements concerning displacement, rehabilitation, and the rights of communities affected by large dam projects in central India. He is widely recognised for his long-standing involvement with the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), the movement opposing the construction of large dams on the Narmada river and advocating for the rehabilitation of displaced families.

Key Facts

Name Alok Agarwal
Nationality Indian
Known for Activism on displacement and rehabilitation issues
Associated movement Narmada Bachao Andolan
Area of work Madhya Pradesh, Narmada valley

Background

Agarwal has been active in grassroots organising in the Narmada valley, working alongside other prominent activists of the movement. His work has focused on questions of land acquisition, the adequacy of resettlement and rehabilitation packages, and the social and environmental costs of large infrastructure projects.

Activism

As a senior figure within the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Agarwal has been involved in mobilising oustees of dam projects on the Narmada, including those affected by submergence due to reservoirs in Madhya Pradesh. The movement, of which he has been a prominent organiser, has campaigned through public protests, satyagrahas, and litigation seeking implementation of rehabilitation guarantees laid down by tribunals and courts.

Political engagement

Agarwal has also engaged with electoral politics in Madhya Pradesh as part of broader efforts to bring movement-based concerns into legislative forums. His political activity has been linked with progressive and people's movement-aligned platforms rather than mainstream national parties.

Significance

Agarwal's career reflects the trajectory of a generation of Indian activists who moved from grassroots agitation on environmental and displacement issues into broader debates on development policy, democratic accountability, and rehabilitation law. His sustained work in the Narmada valley has contributed to public discussion on the human costs of large dams in India.

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