March 8, 1999
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GUJARAT Misplaced Euphoria The Supreme Court allows work on the Narmada dam to resume but this spells more hassles for the Gujarat Government. By Uday Mahurkar
The resumption of work on the project is undoubtedly good news for the state, facing a crippling water shortage in several districts. Moreover, according to the Government, the state is losing Rs 7-8 crore per day on account of cost-escalation and the loss of benefits that would have accrued if the dam had been built on time. The project's cost has jumped from Rs 13,000 crore in 1996 to nearly Rs 21,000 crore today-an additional burden on the state's already constrained resources. Having made some headway, the Government is optimistic about winning future court battles as well. Says Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel: "It is ultimately the victory of truth over untruth." The general euphoria, however, is rather misplaced. The court has permitted the Government to take the dam's height to 85 m from the present 80.3 m. But this is inadequate because for the reservoir water to reach the canal, the dam has to be built to a height of at least 110 m. The permission to increase the height of the dam further will depend on the report on the progress made in rehabilitation of those likely to be displaced by the dam. A three-member Government committee will submit the report to the court before the next hearing on April 16. The Government is optimistic about getting clearance for 110 m once the report is submitted. But it's likely to run into further trouble with the NBA, which has been spearheading the campaign again the SSP. Striking a conciliatory note after the court ruling, Gujarat Narmada Development Minister Jaynarayan Vyas says, "I hope the NBA will now see reason and cooperate." But that's unlikely as the organisation wants nothing less than scrapping the entire project. Says Patkar: "There's no change in our stand. The project remains a disaster in the name of development. We shall continue our struggle in the court. After all this is just an interim order." The point of contention still is the rehabilitation of the oustees. What further complicates the issue is that a majority of the persons to be displaced fall in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, which shares the Narmada basin waters with Gujarat. And unless the two states cooperate on rehabilitation efforts, no major headway is likely on the project. Says an official of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam: "As per the Narmada Tribunal award Gujarat will harness 9 million acre ft (MAT) of water from the Narmada river basin and Madhya Pradesh 18 MAT." Gujarat needs the cooperation of its neighbour in court cases to make sure the NBA creates no further trouble. The cooperation has not been forthcoming so far. According to Vyas, if there are no further stays and delays, the magic target of 110 m height can be reached by June-July, the main dam can be completed in two years and the canal work in five years. Too rosy a scenario for a project that has been plagued by controversies and delays since its inception. And all the reasons that have stalled it so far are still there. So is the NBA. |
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It
is but a small victory, but the BJP Government in Gujarat is absolutely ecstatic. With the
interim ruling of the Supreme Court last week allowing the state Government to resume
construction work on the main dam of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) after a gap of
nearly four years, the Keshubhai Patel ministry is upbeat about the fate of the project.
Work on the dam was suspended in May 1995 following a petition against it by Medha
Patkar's Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). 
