NEW DELHI: Even as representatives of people displaced by the Narmada dam went on an indefinite dharna outside the Ministry of Water Resources here, Union Minister Saifuddin Soz said he had not heard from the Government of Madhya Pradesh regarding his direction for a "credible assurance" about resettlement and rehabilitation of those affected in the valley.

Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Soz said Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar met him on Friday and submitted a memorandum seeking halting construction of the dam in Gujarat. He had received complaints from prominent people such as Krishna Iyer and L.C. Jain expressing their concern on the lack of proper rehabilitation.

"The Madhya Pradesh Government has not responded to my letter. It has utterly failed to give credible assurance about the resettlement and rehabilitation of the dam displaced families," he said.

Mr. Soz said he had received a memorandum from the NBA.

Ms. Patkar alleged that the Environment sub-committee and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement sub-group of the Narmada Control Authority had not visited the valley in the last five years, he said.

Meeting soon

He said he would soon convene a meeting of the Review Committee of the NCA, which he chairs. The Chief Ministers of the four riparian States — Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan — are members.

Ms. Patkar said representatives of the displaced people came to Delhi to lodge their protest at the permission given to the Gujarat Government to raise the height of the dam from 110.64 metres to 121.92 metres, when hundreds of people were not rehabilitated.

She said about 35,000 families in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat have to be rehabilitated at the proposed height.

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