Dam oversight panel may file report by June 30

The three-member Sardar Sarovar Oversight Committee today said they had finished 50 per cent of their work of verifying the status of families affected by the dam in MP.

The three-member Sardar Sarovar Oversight Committee today said they had finished 50 per cent of their work of verifying the status of families affected by the dam in MP. They are likely to finish their field work by June 10 and will present their final report to the Prime Minister by June 30.

The group is being assisted by the National Sample Survey Organisation who, with their 50 verification teams, have covered 99 of the 177 villages affected till the dam height of 121 meters. Another six teams have been formed to verify the civic amenities available in 86 relief and rehabilitation sites identified by the MP government.

Chairman of the committee V K Shunglu said in addition to the complete survey of all the families in these villages, ‘‘5 per cent validation of field surveys would also be carried out.’’ The other members of the committee said that a separate mechanism was set up to get a count of left-out claimants as well as examine all the complaints that have come to the state Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA).

Shunglu clarified that it was not the mandate of the panel to comment on whether the Special Rehabilitation Package was ‘‘proper rehabilitation’’. ‘‘We will only report the ground situation — whether the state offered cash compensation was properly administered and not forced upon any family,’’ said Shunglu.

Meanwhile, a five-page letter sent by the Narmada Bachao Andolan has alleged that the committee is influenced by the government of Madhya Pradesh and is even accompanied by them in their surveys. Refuting the charges, Shunglu said, ‘‘We are doing our work independently and have nothing to do with the state government.’’

NBA has expressed concerned that the oustees would face submergence in the coming monsoon even before the report is submitted.

‘‘Only four villages would be permanently submerged. We also have a question in the survey form which asks the families whether they have faced submergence in the last three years,’’ said G K Chaddha, another member of the group.

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The PM had constituted the Oversight Group after the NBA review committee failed to arrive at any consensus in the April 15 meeting. This group is to verify if the rehabilitation work is being done as per norms laid down by the Narmada Waters Dispute Tribunal.