The Hindu : `Conditional' recommendation to raise Narmada dam height

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 14, 2003

National

National

`Conditional' recommendation to raise Narmada dam height

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi May 13. The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Sub-Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) today gave a `conditional' recommendation for raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat to 100 metres from the present height of 95 metres. The authority will consider the suggestion in its meeting here tomorrow amid immense political pressure.

The height of the controversial dam is at present at 95 metres plus 3 metre humps. Its construction was stalled for a year as the rehabilitation and resettlement of the project-affected people was not done in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, two of the four States involved in the project. The other two States are Gujarat and Rajasthan.

It is learnt that the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, had recently written to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and also met the Maharashtra Chief Minister, S.K. Shinde, to press for pushing the project ahead.

Gujarat has given about Rs. 40 crores to Maharashtra, just as it had given about the same amount to Madhya Pradesh for rehabilitation of the displaced persons. After that, both the States began to opt for giving cash compensation to the oustees, which is against the Narmada Tribunal Award. The issue of cash compensation had come up in the NCA meeting last year and is yet to be resolved.

As per an order of the Supreme Court and also the award, the States are supposed to rehabilitate and resettle oustees six months before raising the height of the dam. So far the States had been flouting this order. However, a Task Force set up by the Maharashtra Government had found fault with the rehabilitation and resettlement. The Grievance Redressal Committee of the State had also not given its clearance when several violations were brought to its notice by the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

Even in today's meeting, Maharashtra has given an undertaking that while it has relocated the families to be displaced it is yet to provide them proper infrastructure as stipulated in the rehabilitation package. The NCA is to take a decision tomorrow whether it will take the State Governments' undertakings at face value, as past experience has shown that rehabilitation and resettlement has lagged despite assurances by States.

The environmental clearance to the project is said to have been given last year, but the Sub-Committee headed by the Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment, Gopal Reddy, had held out as rehabilitation was not up to the mark. Gujarat gets the maximum benefit from the project — water for drinking and irrigation and power — while the displacement is the largest in Madhya Pradesh.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National