No decision to review Narmada dam height: Soz

The Centre categorically asserted it has not taken any decision.

The Centre on Monday categorically asserted it has not taken any decision to review the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam.

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"The Central Government has not taken any decision to review the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam (Narmada Dam)," Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz said in a written statement in the Lok Sabha.

He said as per the directions of the October 18, 2000 verdict of the Supreme Court, the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) is to accord permission to raise the dam's height for its construction as per the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award, in stages, pari-passu with the implementation of the relief and rehabilitation and on the clearance given by NCA's Resettlement and Rehabilitation and Environment Sub-groups.

Accordingly, NCA at its March 8, 2006 meeting after taking into account the recommendations of both of its sub-groups and the assurances of all the party states decided to accord permission to raise the dam's height in the spillway portion from elevation level 110.64 metre to 121.92 metre as per the approved design, the Minister said.

The Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNA) in its April 15 meeting reviewed the permission granted by the NCA to raise the height of the dam but no decision could be arrived at, as there was no consensus in the meeting.

Accordingly, the Review Committee Chairman, the Minister himself, reported the matter to the Prime Minister, who decided to set up a Sardar Sarovar Project Resettlement and Rehabilitation Oversight Group to verify the status of rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh of the families affected by the raising of the dam, Soz said.