SC directs Centre, Guj, NBA to file reports on rehab

New Delhi, Apr 10: The Supreme Court today directed the Centre, the Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat governments and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) to file status reports regarding the implementation of relief and rehabilitation measures for the people displaced due to the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice SB Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia directed all the parties concerned to file the reports by April 23, the next date of hearing.

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh submitted before the court that almost all the affected families in the submergence zone have been rehabilitated. However, the counsel for NBA submitted that the government has violated the directives of this court and the height of the dam has been raised to 141.9 metres without providing alternative sites to the project-affected families, while the court had directed that all the displaced families must be rehabilitated before the height of the dam is raised.

After hearing all the parties, the apex court adjourned the hearing till April 23.

UNI