The Hindu : New Delhi News : Adequate facilities planned for displaced families

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Adequate facilities planned for displaced families

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, JUNE 5. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, has emphasised that the entire rehabilitation exercise for the benefit of those affected by the Indira Sagar and Sardar Sarovar projects should be guided by human considerations. She made this assertion at a high-level meeting called here to review the ongoing initiative for rehabilitation of those being uprooted from areas getting submerged by the Indira Sagar and Sardar Sarovar dams on the Narmada.

Ms. Bharti particularly asked the State Government departments linked with the rehabilitation process to provide adequate health, education and other necessary facilities to the dam-affected families. She said rehabilitation work was a matter of human sensitivity and the joint responsibility of all concerned government departments. To accelerate the rehabilitation process, she also issued instructions to ensure that there was no dearth of administrative staff at the field level.

After reviewing the Contingency Rehabilitation Plan chalked out for the affected families of 120 villages and Harsood town falling under the submergence area of the Indira Sagar Project, the Chief Minister said the Rehabilitation Plan should be finalised in consultation with the people's representatives.

Stressing the need for a constant dialogue with the people's representatives from the affected areas, the Chief Minister said there should also be a proper coordination among officials associated with the rehabilitation process.

Meanwhile, it is officially claimed here that about 22,500 families belonging to 96 different villages have so far been rehabilitated and arrangements have been made for rehabilitation of families affected by raising the height of Sardar Sarovar dam to 110 metres.

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

New Delhi