Centre urged to intervene in Narmada project

By ENN, Ahmedabad, : The Centre should intervene in the implementation of the Sardar Sarovar Project, said the People's Inquiry Committee on the Narmada project, which found gross mismanagement, lack of accountability of the administration and tardy progress.

The nine-member committee, headed by Gujarat High Court's retired judge D G Karia, was formed by PUCL and other prominent civil society organisations of Gujarat and it held public hearings and interviewed 3,000 farmers and urban citizens during the last eight months before preparing the report, committee coordinator Gautam Thakar said today.

The report, released by Justice Karia, said after spending 49 years and Rs 29,000 crore, meagre 29 per cent canal work had been completed so far.

Pointing out that it was not the case of lack of finance, the report said the million dollar question was of 'accountability' of the administration and the officers concerned of Sardar Sarovar Project, the foundation stone of which was laid by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on April 5, 1961, less than a year after formation of Gujarat.

''The villagers are thirsty, waiting for Narmada water for years together. It is high time for the concerned officials to conclude the project with a network of canal within a specific time limit to deliver adequate and safe drinking water to roughly 20 million people in over 8,215 villages and 135 cities of 16 districts of Gujarat,'' it said.