Gujarat MPs to submit memo to PM on Narmada review decision

Ahmedabad, Apr 12 (UNI) Cutting across party lines, BJP, Congress and CPI leaders from Gujarat today decided to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister, urging him not to stop work on the Sardar Sarovar Project, as this would affect the interests of not just Gujarat but the whole Western region.

A decision to this effect was taken at an emergency meeting called after the the Central Government decided to review the proposal to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the face of an ongoing agitation by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, led by Ms Medha Patkar.

Several Gujarat Ministers, Congress leader Urmilaben Patel and over 25 representatives of various pro-Narmada organisations met this evening and decided that MPs and former MPs from the state will impress upon the Prime Minister not to stall dam construction work.

As the decision to raise the dam height was taken by the Narmada Control Authority after following the Supreme Court guidelines, the construction work should not be stopped, they said.

''Regarding the question of rehabilitation, the issue can be settled before the onset of monsoon. We have time to work on it.

Even if a review is conducted, the ongoing work on the dam should not be stopped,'' sources, quoting participants at the meeting, said.

Gujarat Agriculture Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, Law Minister Ashok Bhatt, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel, Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, Minister of State for Rural Development Bharat Barot, Narmada Nigam chairman P K Laheri, former Narmada Minister Jay Narain Vyas, NGO Narmada Abhiyan Chairman Bidyut Joshi, Congress leader Urmilaben Patel, CPI leader Chintamani and representatives of Chambers, and other organisations had participated in the meeting, sources said.

Meanwhile, State Congress unit president Bharatsinh Solanki termed the decision as ''very unfortunate'' and said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should use his good offices to convince his party's government in Madhya Pradesh to expedite work on the rehabilitation aspect.

''Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was always very keen that the work on the dam should go on unhindered. He had made this clear to a delegation which had met him earlier. The MP government's laxity on the rehabilitation of the dam oustees has forced the Government to take this decision. The construction of the dam should go on as Gujarat is a drought prone state,'' he said.

Upset over the Centre's decision, BJP spokesman Purushottom Rupala said the government should not have bowed to Medha Patkar's demand. ''Right from the beginning, Medha and her organisation had always created hurdles. In the name of the poor, she has tried to stop the dam work. All Gujaratis want that Sardar Sarovar Project work should go on without any roadblocks and the Central government should respect this sentiment,'' he told UNI.

UNI