The Hindu : National : Madhya Pradesh approaches PM for help on Maheshwar dam

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Madhya Pradesh approaches PM for help on Maheshwar dam

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has appealed to the Centre to revoke the Union Environment and Forests Ministry's “arbitrary order” to suspend work on the Maheshwar hydro-electric project, alleging that it was “agenda-driven”.

Terming the order as anti-development and anti-poor, Mr. Chauhan in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said such an action by MoEF at a critical stage of project implementation was “extremely detrimental” to the planning and development process.

The Centre decided to suspend work on the dam situated in Khargone district earlier this week after the Environment Ministry found non-compliance of some conditions imposed for the green clearance given to it.

In his letter, Mr. Chauhan has said that stoppage of the project at this juncture would result in a loss of 7.2 lakh units of power per day starting November 2010 and denial of 360 million litres of water per day for the urban areas of Dewas and Indore.

An investment of over Rs.2,500 crore has been made on the power project and over Rs.517 crore for the water supply project.

“The Prime Minister would agree that both power and water were vital for development and arbitrary action by the MoEF at a critical stage of project implementation was extremely detrimental to the planning and development process...such action was anti-development and anti-poor,” the letter said.

The Chief Minister claimed that the MoEF had continuously threatened shutting down of this project despite the State Government's repeated assurance about proper rehabilitation of the project-affected families.

“Obstructive” activities

The Madhya Pradesh Government had also apprised the Union Ministry of “obstructive” activities of the Narmada Bachao Andolan which in fact was “preventing the rehabilitation and replacement work,” he said.

“A senior level committee appointed by the Ministry itself had brought to light the negative role of the NBA, but the MoEF has chosen to disregard the recommendation of its own committee,” he said.

“The State Government is compelled to think that the MoEF is driven by some agenda which leads to unreasonable and arbitrary obstruction in development projects of which Maheshwar is only one example,” the Chief Minister said.

The Ministry had imposed the condition that two wildlife sanctuaries be created to compensate for submergence at Maheshwar, when there was no forest land or wildlife in the area to be submerged, Mr. Chauhan said.

The Chief Minister has urged the Prime Minister “to give serious attention to this matter in order to revoke the arbitrary order and if necessary, to convene a meeting to resolve the matter.” - PTI

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