Berlin: With the issue of rehabilitation of Narmada oustees attracting attention recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has set up a three-member committee headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India V K Shunglu to go into the relief and rehabilitation of people affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project.
The committee, comprising JP Narain, convener of NGO Lok Satta and G K Chadha, former Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, as members would have a tenure of three months from the date it takes charge, Singh's Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru said.
The committee has been asked to conduct sample surveys to ascertain the status of rehabilitation and gather facts such as total number of families affected by the submerge.
It would also go into the issue of total number of families who have not received relief and rehabilitation package as per norms and verify whether alternative land was offered to the oustees and whether it was true that those who did not take land, voluntarily did so.
The committee has been asked to recommend a system to ensure that all families who would be affected by the submerge when the dam height is raised to 121.92 metres receive relief within three months as per norms laid down by Narmada award, the Supreme Court and the Grievances Redressal Authority set up by the Madhya Pradesh government.
Recently, Narmada Bachao Andolan chief Medha Patkar was on a 20-day fast demanding rehabilitation of the affected people.
The Supreme Court has threatened to stop work on raising the height of the dam if there was no effective rehabilitation.
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