Tags:
Journalism of Courage
GANDHINAGAR, Sept 12: In a unanimous resolution, the Gujarat Assembly today denounced the proposed visit of the World Commission on Dams WCD as 8220;unpardonable interference in the country8217;s as well as Gujarat8217;s internal affairs8221; with the intent of 8220;influencing the Supreme Court8221; hearing the Narmada dam case.
Accusing the commission of having a 8220;malafide intention8221; in planning a public hearing at Bhopal, the resolution said the commission8217;s only purpose was to create hurdles in the way of the Sardar Sarovar Project SSP.The resolution said that one of the commission members, Medha Patkar, was a party to the litigation.
Patel said most of the 12 members of the WCD, including Medha Patkar and L C Jain, were known for their anti-dam views and hence the people of this country could not expect the commission to be impartial.He described the commission decision to canel the visit to the state was a 8220;moral victory of the people of Gujarat8221;.
There was at this juncture an interesting twist to the discussion when the Opposition Congress decided to raise the point that the same 8220;people of Gujarat8221; were fed up by the rising prices of essential commodities, especially edible oil. To this, the Chief Minister observed: 8220;The price rise will be controlled within 15 days, but it will remain a permanent phenomenon, if the Narmada project is not implemented in time. We will have to decidepriorities. I don8217;t want to politicise the issue at this juncture.8221;
Opposition leader Chaudhary said though his party had expressed its solidarity with the Government on the Narmada issue, the Centre would have done better if it had bothered to call a short week-long session to discuss burning issues that gripped the state like prices and the recent communal disturbances. Chaudhary also alleged that the World Bank was running a racket by funding so-called experts on environment under the garb of studying large dams in the Third World countries.
