Panel wants to resettle families before raising dam height

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 18. All the families which would be affected when the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam is raised to 100 metres in the next stage should be resettled and rehabilitated before December 31. This was decided by the review committee of the Narmada Control Authority which met here today.

The panel also decided that in future the permitted height of the dam should include the height of the humps over the spillway portion of the dam and that the irrigation bypass tunnel for the Sardar Sarovar Project would be completed but no withdrawals would take place through the tunnel below the minimum draw down level of the dam. Any loss in the generation of power on such withdrawal would be compensated by the Gujarat Government in the form of power instead of money.

The meeting also considered the issue of resource constraints of the participating States for payment of their share and it was agreed that the Minister of Power would consider the Madhya Pradesh's request for providing funds for the power component and that in the case of Rajasthan, the Centre would consider funding under the Accelerated Irrigated Benefit Programme.

The Union Minister for Water Resources, Mr. Arjun Charan Sethi, presided over the meeting. Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat were represented by their Chief Ministers, Mr. Digvijay Singh and Mr. Keshubai Patel, while Rajasthan was represented by its Irrigation Minister, Ms. Kamala Devi, and Maharashtra by its Minister of State for Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr. Ram Raje Nimbalkar. Senior officers of the Central and State Governments were also present.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Natwar criticises foreign policy
Next     : Mystery about unclaimed body continues