Govt orders review of Narmada Dam height

New Delhi, Apr 12 (UNI) Bowing to pressure from Left allies and the defiant protest by Narmada Bachao Andolan led by Medha Patkar, the Government today decided to review its decision to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The NBA, however, said it will not withdraw its protest till a final settlement was reached and served a 48-hour ultimatum on the Government to stop construction works on the dam.

Ms Patkar, Mr Jamsingh Nargave and Bhagwatiben Patidar, on fast since March 29, would continue their hunger strike.

In Gujarat, the state Government called an emergency meeting of officials and pro-dam NGOs to chart out its next course of action in the wake of the union cabinet's decision.

Briefing reporters after the CCPA meet, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz would soon convene a meeting of the Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA).

At a meeting on March 8, the NCA had decided to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam from 110.64 to 121.9 metres, trigerring the NBA's protest. The NBA says nearly 35,000 families would lose their source of livelihood and homes due to submergence in the dam's waters if the decision is implemented.

The RCNCA is meeting on Friday.

After the CCPA meeting, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan and CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member Brinda Karat called on Dr Singh to discuss the issue.

At the half-an-hour meeting, the Left leaders sought an immediate suspension of the ongoing work at the dam and release of the report of the Group of Ministers (GoM) which visited the dam site following the indefinite fast undertaken by Ms Patkar.

Ms Karat told UNI that the Prime Minister, however, refused to make the GoM's findings public and clarified that it would first go to the review committee.

The NBA began its protest here on March 17. Ms Patkar, Mr Nargave and Ms Patidar began an indefinite hunger strike on March 29. Police forcibly shifted Ms Patkar and Mr Nargave to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on April 5 and slapped a case of attempted suicide against them.

The three are living on lemon water ever since in a show of defiance that has received support from people's organisations and individuals from across the country.

UNI SN/KSA/VN VC2145