Visually it looks nice when Narmada dam overflows every year in monsoon, but the fact is that, this overflowing water is wasted due to lack of gates over the dam! Permission to construct gates is pending for last five years! Without the gates, the structure doesn’t actually deserve to be called dam, it’s actually a big causeway!

Amdavad, DeshGujarat, 7 April 2013

53 years have passed, but Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam project remains an unfinished task till date! Is there any match in the world where a project of such scale and nature is not completed after taking so much long time? Certainly not.

The last construction work at the dam site happened before over five years!

The Government of Gujarat supported by Madhya Pradesh has sought permission for taking up Phase-I construction of spillway piers to full height of 138.62 metres and bridge and installation of 30 steel radial gates over Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat. For the last more than five years, nothing has been done by Government for granting such permission. The height of the dam was raised to 121.92 meters five years ago and since then, work is on a halt.

This halt is bigger than the halt witnessed in past during 1995-1998 for nearly three infamous years when Supreme Court of India had stayed the project.

So who is responsible for this? The answer is: government of Maharashtra, and central government both.

As per the direction of the Supreme Court dated 18.10.2000 in Writ Petition No. 319/1994, the permission to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam beyond 90 m. is given by the Narmada Control Authority, from time to time, after it obtains the clearance from the Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) Sub-group (including consultation with the three Grievances Redressal Authorities of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra) and the Environment Sub-group. As per the same order the R&R Sub-Group conveys clearance only after consultation with the Grievance Redressal Authorities (GRAs).

The GRA, Maharashtra, in their opinion dated 08.08.2012 had pointed out certain deficiencies in regard to the R & R work in Maharashtra.

The Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Sub-Group of Narmada Control Authority (NCA), chaired by the Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, that reviews and monitors the implementation of resettlement and rehabilitation policies and programmes in its meeting held on 12.09.12 met and discussed Gujarat’s demand to raise the dam height but no decision was taken because of certain non-completion of work in Maharashtra. Maharashtra was then asked to submit a report on compliance.

The Government of Maharashtra subsequently, vide their letter dated 17.1.2013, submitted an Action Taken Report in the matter related to the compliance of deficiencies outlined by the Grievances Redressal Authority(GRA Maharashtra) which inter-alia include:

-Boundaries of agricultural lands not being shown on possession receipt of the Project Affected Families (PAFs)

-Non-measurement of land allotted to the PAFs

-Non-eviction of encroachers on the land allotted to the PAFs

-Panchanama of land allotted to the PAFs not being signed by all concerned

-Non-resolution of issues related to Savariya Digar and Bilgaon

-Non-allotment of land to 12 PAFs and house plots to 16 PAFs, etc.

Now the meeting of the R & R Sub-Group, NCA, to consider clearance of further raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, would be held after examination/verification of the Report of the Government of Maharashtra. But there’s no time limit declared, and the centre doesn’t look in any hurry!

The deficiencies outlined by the GRA Maharashtra are about R&R tasks performed by Maharashtra Government. The root of the problem is in Maharashtra. And it is not for the first time that the speed of this project is impacted due to nothing-doing, lately-doing or wrongly-doing approach on Maharashtra administration. Maharashtra is responsible for slow speed of the project for last many years.

Couple of years back the Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, in his capacity as the Chairman of the R&R Sub-Group of Narmada Control Authority, had to write reminders to the Government of Maharashtra on 25.2.2011, 20.6.2011 and 14.7.2011 (three times in a year) for early completion of Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) work by way of (i) allotment of one hectare additional land to major sons of Project Affected Families (PAFs) at then dam height of EL 121.92 meters, and (ii) in respect of declared PAFs remaining for R&R between then dam height and the Full Reservoir Level. This had to be done, after a meeting of the R&R Sub-Group, fixed for 6th February, 2012 had to be postponed at the “request” of Maharashtra Government.

It is interesting to note that Gujarat government has allocated about 125 ha land in Gujarat’s Nijhar taluka for rehabilitation of Maharashtra’s 90 people affected by construction of Sardar Sarovar dam. Gujarat government has also paid Rs 43 crore to Maharashtra government in year 2009-10 for R&R works. But things are not just working properly in Maharashtra!

As on November 2010, out of total of 46,709 Project Affected Families (PAFs) likely to be affected by construction of Sardar Sarovar Dam, 46,387 PAFs had been resettled.Resettlement of balance 322 PAFs was in progress. All these 322 PAF were from Maharashtra. While other states have completed far major tasks, Maharashtra administration took too much time, and contributed to great delay in the project.

In 2009, while the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GOMP) and Gujarat (GOG) had submitted the Action Taken Reports (ATRs) for Sardar Sarovar Dam height i.e., EL 121.92m related to the building of the piers of dam, the Government of Maharashtra (GOM) had not submitted the ATRs concerning completion of resettlement works related to building of the piers of the dam.

Maharashtra officials behaved like villains of Sardar Sarovar project in February 2009 meeting of Narmada Control Authority (NCA). While Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh were in favour of permission to further construction on the Sardar Sarovar dam, Maharashtra took objection to this. In a meeting of the NCA and R&R officials in Delhi, presided over by K.M. Acharya

Senior Secretary, Union Social Welfare Ministry, 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, argued that it was necessary to grant permission to Gujarat before monsoon season sets in June.

They said 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 Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT). Also, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh had provided this information to NCA more than 12 months ago and had requested it to grant permission to Gujarat.

Only Maharashtra officials took objection to it saying that there were 360 Project Affected Persons (PAPS) who were yet to be rehabilitated and also argued that additional submergence 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 was not going to take place as the radial gates and piers are to be kept in open position and it would take 18 months.

Gujarat officials said that the identified maps from MP and Maharashtra had already been rehabilitated at various R&R sites in Gujarat and now the question of rehabilitation from Maharashtra was not arising. Maharashtra had to address this problem on its own. 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. So Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) group sought report from the Redressal 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 that once again delayed further works of the dam.

Criticising this move, Gujarat officials had said that if NCA was interested in getting the report of GRA from Maharashtra, then why it delayed the matter for 12 months during which period, the meetings of NCAs R&R group were held several times.

It is interesting to note here that Government of Gujarat had submitted a proposal for further raising of Sardar Sarovar Dam to Narmada Control Authority in 2008, which was considered in its 80th meeting held on 12-08-2008 and it was inter alia decided that further construction of Sardar Sarovar Dam would be carried out in two phases:

(i) Construction of Spillway Piers to its full height and bridge and installation of Gates(to be kept in raised position) and;

(ii) Lowering down of Gates and impounding water in the Reservoir to Full Reservoir Level to EL 138.68M.

The Authority further had decided that the issue of next stage of construction would first be considered in Environment Sub-Group and R&R Sub-Group including consultation with Grievance Redressal Authorities(GRAs), and thereafter, the matter would be considered by the Narmada Control Authority.

The present issues are with R&R Sub-Group, and that too about only few families in Maharashtra. The issue is not so big, that it can halt construction of dam for a period as long as five years! Therefore the doubts are raised that what is the real issue then? Politics? Influence of anti-dam elements? Sabotage?

This questions are important because as per the first phase narrated above gates are to be kept in raised position, and therefore there’s no question of further land getting submerged! If gates are kept opened, how further land can go under water?

Chief Minister Narendra Modi has asked this question in every recent meeting with the Prime Minister. The point is valid, erection of gates will take two-three years time, even after permission is granted by NCA anytime in future.

Without erection of gates, dam can not be actually called a full-fledged dam, rather it should be called causeway. It’s because controlling the outflow of water is just not possible without having gates over dam. Not only this, but due to lack of gates over the dam, massive flow of water falls over the surface and ski jump of dam almost every year. This may cause damage to the structure, and it is not advisable to keep the dam in this condition for long time!

It seems, ministry of Social Justice that is responsible for giving green signal to further construction work of Sardar Sarovar project is taking this task too casually. The need of pushing the things on war foot basis is completely absent. R&R performance, and overall approach of Maharashtra is of-course root cause of the delay.

When Congress is ruling party in both Maharashtra and Centre, it is the duty of Gujarat Congress leaders to use their influence to speed up the things lately.

Gujarat has witnessed overflowing Narmada dam in monsoon in last ten years. Last year, Narmada dam was overflowing for record long period at 121.92 meter height. Due to lack of gates over the dam, so much water is wasted that it can satisfy the needs of irrigation, drinking water, industries of Gujarat for two full years. At 138 meter height, Sardar Sarovar reservoir can store four times more water.

For some rehabilitation problems here-and-there involving only few families, country can’t be pushed to pay so big cost. The problems pertaining to R&R are not so big, but the problems pertaining to our system, lack of willingness, political agendas, working style of government, India-first approach are bigger.

The Sardar Sarovar Project estimates were approved by the Planning Commission of India, in October, 1988, amounting to Rs. 6406.04 crore at the price level of 1986-87. The revised investment clearance accorded by the Planning Commission on dated 20.05.2010 was for an amount of Rs. 39240.45 crore at the 2008-09 price level.

And we are inviting more delay? In that case no body would be a winner, and nation will stay as loser.

Narmada dam: Gujarat Congress can do this