Narmada rehabilitation colonies to be assimilated with nearest villages: Govt

About 80-odd rehabilitation colonies constructed to house the displaced families of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project will now be assimilated with the villages located nearest to the respective colonies, stated an official release from the Gujarat government, Saturday.

The colonies in six districts, including Vadodara (38), Chotta Udepur (14), Narmada (13), Bharuch (9), Panchmahal (5) and Kheda (1), will be part of this process. The assimilation with the nearest villages will help the residents get access to the services being provided by the local gram panchayats.

The residents of the colonies can also take part in the decision-making process of the village, the release added. Former government officials who have dealt with the rehabilitation of the families displaced by the Narmada dam said there were over 200 such colonies across the state.

“It was a long awaited decision. The colonies needed to have some sort of exit policy as they were being managed by the Sardar Sarovar Punarvasat Agency (SSPA) of the state government,” a former state government official said.