The Narmada Control Authority (NCA) Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) group has sought report from the Redressel Grievances Authority (GRA) of Maharashtra before taking a decision on granting permission to Gujarat for installing radial gates and construction of spillway piers on the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada river at Kevadiya.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the NCA and R&R officials at the national capital on Monday, presided over by K.M. Acharya Senior Secretary, Union Social Welfare Ministry.

This has once again delayed further works of the dam.

A.K. Joti Managing Director of the Sardar Sarvar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNL), Rehabilitation Commissioner M.S. Dagur, Deputy General Manager of the Sadar Sarovar Naramada Agency R.G. Trivedi, who attended the meeting argued that it was necessary to grant permission to Gujarat before monsoon season sets in June this year.

However, official sources said that this would further delay completion of the remaining work, on the Rs 40,000 crore dam, which stands halted for more than two years.

“Both Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have already completed works on R&R front for raising the height of the dam upto 138.62m as fixed by the Naramada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT),” they said.

Also, these states have provided this information to NCA more than 12 months ago and had requestedd it to grant permission to Gujarat.

Only Maharashtra took objection to it saying that there are 360 Project Affected Persons (PAPS) who are yet to be rehabilitated and also argued that additional subermergence would take place after permission is granted to Gujarat.

Dismissing the arguments of Maharashtra, both the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh said that the additional submergence of areas is not going to take place as the radial gates and piers are to be kept in open position and it would take 18 months.

“The identified maps from MP and Maharashtra have already been rehabilitated at various R&R sites in Gujarat and now the question of rehabilitation from Maharashtra does not arise. Maharashtra has to address this problem on its own,” argued Gujarat officials.

However, Maharashtra succeeded in pressing for the report of the GRA before taking any decision on it. Before granting permission, the NCA gets reports from R&R group, environment group and GRA.

As per the supreme courts order, GRAs (grievances redressal authority) have been formed in each of the three states of Gujarat, Maharashra and Madhya Pradesh.

Criticising this move, the sources of Sardar Sarovar Naramada Nigam Limited (SSNL) said, “if NCA was interested in getting the report of GRA from Maharashtra, then why it delayed the matter for past 12 months during which period meetings of NCAs R&R group were held several times.

Gujarat supported by Madhya Pradesh has sought permission to install 30 steel radial gates and construct spillway piers and an over bridge on the dam , so as to raise the dam height from 121.92 metres to 138.62 metres. The height of the dam was raised to 121.92 meters two years ago and since work is on a halt.