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The below article is more reasonable. As I thought – the rehab has to catch up (in its true spirit) before the dam can be allowed to be constructed. SC threatens to stop dam work |
| DH News Service New Delhi: |
| The Supreme Court on Monday threatened to stop construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project on Narmada if the states in the river basin do not carry out rehabilitation of the displaced people in true letter and spirit of its earlier judgment. |
The Supreme Court on Monday threatened to stop construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project on Narmada if the states in the river basin do not carry out rehabilitation of the displaced people in true letter and spirit of its earlier judgment.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal asked all the parties concerned to file replies within a week to the petition filed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the application moved by the Centre. The matter will come up for hearing on May 1.
The apex court clarified that the Centre could go ahead with resolving the controversy in accordance with its 2000 judgment pending hearing of the matter. Earlier, the court asked the government to go ahead with the raising of the height of the dam from 100 metres to 122 metres provided it strikes a balance by rehabilitating the people displaced by such a vast project.
“You cannot satisfy all, but rehabilitation has to be reasonable and it requires a statesman-like approach,” said the Bench.
The Centre conveyed its commitment to the construction of the dam and proposed to constitute a committee to evolve a mechanism to rehabilitate the displaced people.
“What is necessary is that the issue should not be discussed in an emotive and charged atmosphere but in a congenial atmosphere… such a type of dispute is a threat to public security,” the Bench observed.
NBA counsel Shanti Bhushan pressed for an injunction on raising of the height of the dam and said the rehabilitation work should have been completed 12 months before the submersion of the area.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subrahmanian assured the court that it would completely rehabilitate the oustees before the onset of monsoon by August this year. If it could not do so by then, it would come out with a temporary rehabilitation programme which would be followed by a permanent one.
The Centre asked the court to issue a direction to Madhya Pradesh to abide by the mechanism evolved by the proposed committee. State’s counsel Harish Salve said before passing any order the state should be heard.
Meanwhile, NBA leader Medha Patkar on Monday night called off her 20-day-old hunger strike. Two more NBA activists Jamsing Nargavekar and Bhagwati Patidar, who too had been on fast with Patkar, also ended their strike. NBA activist Pinjari Bai offered a glass of lime juice to Patkar in the presence of leaders like CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan and Swami Agnivesh.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi also called off his hunger strike in Ahmedabad on Monday in view of the Supreme Court ruling.
Life.. 