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'Sardar Sarovar Project a political lifeline'

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi Nov. 30. The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar, has said the politics of opportunism has turned the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat into a political lifeline.She has also criticised the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, for diverting waters to Sabarmati river to benefit the municipalities of Baroda, Ahmedabad and Rajkot, which are not part of the Sardar Sarovar Project.

Ms. Patkar told mediapersons that even as 40,000 families had been rehabilitated and resettled at the present height of 95 meters, the SSP had become the `lifeline' of politicians fighting for survival in the coming Gujarat elections.

"Mr. Modi has once again started talking of progress and development and is clinging to the SSP as his lifeline. The Gujarat Government has been the perpetuator of violence against development. It prevented NBA activists from going to the dam site and prevented the SC/ST Commission from contacting the NBA and the Water Commission from visiting the State.''

She said while Mr. Modi was taking all the credit for "bringing Narmada waters'' to Ahmedabad and Baroda through huge ads in newspapers and blaming the Congress for inaction, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, was being supportive by proposing Rs. 100 crore in his supplementary budget for payment accruing to Gujarat.

She alleged that the M.P. Government resorted to ex-partee allotment of land and cash compensation in violation of all norms of the Narmada Tribunal award. The Maharashtra Government, however, ordered an inquiry into the rehabilitation process and sought halt on further construction of the dam.

Ms. Patkar said while Mr. Modi had claimed that this was the beginning of the end of the water problem of Gujarat, the fact was that Rs. 40,000 crore would be required for the dam.

The Modi Government had diverted 90 per cent of the irrigation budget and 50 per cent of its annual budget to the SSP.

The CAG had criticised the Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited on spending a whopping 22 per cent of the total expenditure on debt repayments and said such a huge debt burden was neither planned nor prudent. In the coming days the financial problem of the State due to SSP will increase.

Ms. Patkar said the recommendation of the Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited to the Gujarat Government to revise water tariff by 300 to 800 per cent makes it clear that the project would not benefit the common people.

The Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, had said recently that rehabilitation work was on in the affected States and the construction of the dam was on. Ms. Patkar alleged that both the statements were incorrect as the dam stood at 95 meters and till rehabilitation takes place it cannot be raised further. She said she has sought an appointment with Mr. Sethi to apprise him of the situation in theNarmada valley and seek his intervention.

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