SC to hear Narmada pleas today

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Monday hear petitions filed by the Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments to allow work at the Sardar Sarovar dam to continue.

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has filed a petition before the court that work must be stopped because people displaced by the dam are not being rehabilitated. It says a stay must also be ordered because Gujarat had been able to utilise just 15 per cent of water available for power generation.

According to Supreme Court orders in 2000 and 2005, dam construction and rehabilitation must go hand in hand. The Madhya Pradesh government says it has paid cash compensation to 1,000 families and will compensate 3,000 families soon.

Authorities are working to provide water, electricity and roads, the government says. The NBA claims the government’s statements are false and rehabilitation of displaced people hasn’t even begun.

According to Gujarat government, the dam would provide drinking water to 2,000 villages in drought-prone areas of Kutch and Saurashtra. It will also provide adequate water for irrigation to the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajas than and Maharashtra.

The Centre has indicated that it’s not against stopping work to raise the height of the dam from 110 meters to 121.92 meters.

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