The Hindu : Centre calls meeting of CMs of Narmada-basin States

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2004

National

National

Centre calls meeting of CMs of Narmada-basin States

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, JAN. 13. The Centre has called a meeting of the Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA) here later this month to decide whether the cost of rehabilitation and resettlement of the people displaced by the Narmada dam in Gujarat should be shared by the four basin States or be borne by Gujarat alone, which is the major beneficiary of the benefits of the project.

The meeting will also discuss the status of rehabilitation and resettlement at the present height of 100 metres. The official-level NCA has not yet cleared raising the dam height, as the rehabilitation of the affected families is not complete. The State Governments have been directed to submit Action Taken Reports by the end of this month. The NCA did, however, revise the next altitude of the dam to be 110.64 metres rather than 110 metres.

This is the first time that the new Chief Ministers of the Narmada basin States — Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Uma Bharti (Madhya Pradesh), Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan) and Sushil Kumar Shinde (Maharashtra) — will attend the meeting of the apex decision-making body of the Sardar Sarovar Project.

The meeting will be presided over by the Union Minister for Water Resources, Arjun Charan Sethi, who is the chairman of RCNCA. The RCNCA had last met in August 2001.

The major question hanging fire is whether the cost of rehabilitation and resettlement should be shared between the four States. The Gujarat Government is seeking costs from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, which, in turn, have said that Gujarat should bear the cost.

The Water Resources Ministry had taken legal opinion on the subject and had been advised that as per the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal, the full cost should be borne by the Gujarat Government. Gujarat has refuted this.

The meeting will also take up Madhya Pradesh Government's demand for compensation from Gujarat for the loss of power because of the latter taking interim advantage by drawing water through the irrigation bypass tunnel.

There is no provision for the irrigation bypass tunnel in the award but M.P. had agreed to it on the condition that Gujarat would make a payment to it for loss of power on that account. Gujarat is now going back on that saying it has not drawn any power benefit so far.

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

National