Nath slams Narmada panel for acting in ‘partisan’ way

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath has slammed the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) constituted in 1969 for adjudication of disputes over water of Narmada river among the party states for acting in a partisan manner harming interests of MP.

In a letter to Union water resources minister G.S. Shekhawat, Mr Nath said, “The agency (NCA) failed to carry out its mandated task and has on many occasions failed to adhere to the principle of impartiality in its decisions which is of utmost importance in the federal structure of the Constitution with water being the concurrent subject in the VIIth Schedule.”

Citing instances of biasness by the agency, Mr Nath said, “In the year 2018-19, the government of Gujarat has not generated power through river bed power house (RBPH) of Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) with Madhya Pradesh share of water and conserved it for filling of SSP.

A unilateral decision not to operate the RBHP was taken by the chairman, NCA on 15th April, 2019 to ensure filling of the SSP reservoir during the forthcoming monsoon”.

He said that the MP government had on May 27 this year urged the NCA chairman to review his decision in this regard or put the proposal for reservoir regulation before NCA for a hearing.

“The request was conveniently ignored,” he regretted.

Mr Nath maintained that the NCA ignored the violation of provisions of Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) award while allowing provision of pumping operation in the RBPH of SSP with construction of a weir in downstream of SSP, leading to escalation of cost of power generation for MP government.

The issue has so far not been referred to NCA for hearing despite request to this effect by MP government, he pointed out.

He also drew the Union government’s attention to the failure of the Gujarat government to provide cost of R&R for rehabilitation of people displaced by SSP as mandated by NWDT.