The Hindu : National : Narmada oustees asked to approach Authorities

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Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

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National

Narmada oustees asked to approach Authorities

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 23. The Supreme Court today directed the villagers of Madhya Pradesh affected by the increase in the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam from 95 to 110 metres to approach the Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA) for their rehabilitation.

A three-Judge Bench, comprising Justice Y. K. Sabharwal, Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justice S. B. Sinha, passed the order on an application filed by Narmada Bachao Andolan.

Counsel for the applicant, Sanjay Parikh and S. Murlidharan, submitted that the State Government had rejected the villagers' claims for allotment of cultivable lands as they faced the threat of losing their land due to submergence.

Help promised

Senior counsel for Madhya Pradesh submitted that the State Government would render all assistance to the villagers in approaching the GRA and officials would be present before the authority with all records.

The Bench, while asking the villagers to approach the GRA next week, hoped that the authority would decide the matter expeditiously. It asked the authority to decide the claims preferably within three weeks and posted the application for further hearing after four weeks.

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