Pro-dam NGO seeks NHRC's audience on oustees

Ahmedabad, May 7: Narmada Abhiyan, a Gujarat-based Non-Government Organisation (NGO), has sought National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Justice Anand's audience to put across its viewpoints on the contentious issue of Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) of Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP).

In a fax message today, its president Jaynarayan Vyas also requested Justice Anand to ignore anti-dam Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar's request to reopen the case.

Mr Vyas, who was Gujarat's Narmada Development Minister in the Keshubhai Patel government, said that State-owned Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) implementing the project, had never opposed R&R.

Rather, he pointed out, NBA had never lodged a complaint with Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA) of Gujarat about non-compliance of SSNNL's committment.

It was in response to a petition filed by NBA that the Supreme Court in its October 18, 2000 order made it statutory for all parties concerned to route all grievances through GRA alone.

Morover, he said, Ms Patkar had lost her credibility following media exposures about her alleged role in creating hurdles rather than facilitating R&R of PAPs.

And, then, Ms Patkar had simultaneously approached Supreme Court again with a fresh petition on an issue, on which the judgment had been delivered six years ago. The case is slated for hearing on tomorrow.

UNI

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