Modi set to break commitment on Sardar Sarovar dam: Medha

BHOPAL: Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be breaking the commitment made by his predecessor Manmohan Singh who had said that there would be no further construction at Sardar Sarovar dam till relief and rehabilitation process is completed.
However, Modi has announced in Gujarat to install the gates at Sardar Sarovar project site when the rehabilitation of 45,000 families is yet to be done.Talking to a group of journalists, Medha said the prime minister is determined to have gates installed at the dam site by December this year. She said that if the gates are installed at the height of 139 metres, 224 villages and Dharampuri town will be submerged. This would affect 45,000 families, she said. More than 48,000 families are still living in these villages, which have one of the most fertile lands of India. There are temples, mosques, hospitals and several functioning government offices in the region, which would be submerged once the gates are installed.
Besides, Medha said the Jha Commission has exposed 1589 fake registries in relief and rehabilitation work. “All these families should also be given land,” she demanded. Narmada Bachao Andolan will vehemently oppose the construction of sluice gates at the dam, she said. “Why Madhya Pradesh government is keeping mum when it would not get even a single drop of dam water and only 56% of power from 1415 MW produced when the dam is completed,” she wondered.
Medha said the state government has claimed that the relief and rehabilitation is completed, but the number of the families, which are yet to be rehabilitated, released by Narmada Control Authority (NCA) is 2,143.