State celebrates SC order on dam

AHMEDABAD, Feb 18: A wave of jubilation swept across the State on Thursday as the Supreme Court gave a ruling allowing Gujarat to commenc...

AHMEDABAD, Feb 18: A wave of jubilation swept across the State on Thursday as the Supreme Court gave a ruling allowing Gujarat to commence work on the Sardar Sarovar Project. Fire crackers were burst at several places in the city to celebrate the victory8217; at the end of a long legal battle.

While the Congress did not give any instant reaction, the BJP State unit president Rajendrasinh Rana has hailed the ruling as a great success to the efforts made by Keshubhai Patel-led BJP government. Rana congratulated Patel for leading the State to this hour of glory despite suffering the legacy of irresponsible handling of the issue by the previous governments.

Terming the ruling as a hard slap in the face of anti-Narmada activists, Rana congratulated the people of Gujarat for their perseverance and patience which gave them a tough fight. He listed a number of steps the State took right from opposing the Morse Committee to the World Commission on Dams in fighting anti-Narmada forces.

Other leaders hailing the ruling included SSNNL chairman Bhupendrasinh Chudasna, AUDA chairman Surendra Patel, BJP MPs from Gujarat and party office-bearers. The Rashtriya Janata Party has welcomed the judgement allowing the Narmada Dam height to be raised by five mts. quot;With the long awaited judgement on Narmada issue having been delivered by the apex court, we now urge the State government to give a green signal for resuming construction immediately,quot; the former RJP Chief Minister Dilip Parikh and the State party president Mahusudan Mistry said while addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday.

Mayor Joitaram Patel has welcomed the Supreme Court8217;s decision to raise the height of the dam. He also congratulated the Chief Minister for that. He hoped that the project would now be completed soon and would prove beneficial to the people of Gujarat and help in the development of the State.

The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also welcomed the judgement. In a release, it said that with this most-awaited ruling, the construction work of Narmada dam which was held up for more than two years would start soon. It said the project is the lifeline of Gujarat and also a project of national importance. They congratulated the Chief Minister, Minister for Narmada and Large Irrigation Scheme, SSNL chairman and senior government officials for their efforts in effectively and efficiently handling the whole project and representing this matter before the Supreme Court.

They hoped that such sustained efforts would be continued with speed and vigour by the government for ensuring speedy completion of the project.