SC refuses to stop Narmada construction

The Supreme Court today refused to stop the ongoing construction to raise the height of Narmada Dam from the existing 110 metres to 121.92 metres at this juncture and left it to the prime minister to take a decision on the controversial issue of relief and rehabilitation of dam oustees on the basis of the report of a committee appointed by him.

"We hope and expect that the PM will be able to take a decision on or before July 3 and the decision taken shall be placed on record," a Bench headed by Chief Justice YK Sabharwal said while posting the matter for hearing on July 7.

The order came after Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian submitted that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set up a three-member committee to look into the relief and rehabilitation work for the project-affected families in Madhya Pradesh, which was likely to submit its report by June.

The ASG said once the committee's report was available, the PM would be in a better position to take a decision in the matter.

The court also expressed the hope that all the parties concerned would fully cooperate and not cause any obstruction in the work of 14 survey teams under the committee that would visit the state to collect data on relief and rehabilitation.