August 31, 2016 | New Delhi: The environment Sub-Group of Narmada Control Authority met today at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Officials from four States Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, as well as officials from Central Government and officials of NCA attended the meeting. Around 20 governmental and non- governmental members and invitees together discussed on various environmental issues on the agenda.
Agenda and minutes of the 47th and 48th meetingheld in 2010 were also put forward for adoption in this meeting happening after 6 long years. The discussion was held in the context of the compliance with the conditions and guidelines laid down while giving the environmental clearance to the Sardar Sarovar Dam in 1987. These included issues like treatment of catchment area, command area development, impact on health, the development of fisheries resources, measurement of seismicity, downstream impacts, State government officials presented their compliance reports and Mr. Afroz Ahmed presented the monitoring reports, on behalf of Narmada Control Authority. Non-government members raised the issue of lack of monitoring in past 6 years and the need of evaluation and the importance of the ground realities in current scenario.
The conclusion of the discussion chaired by the secretary of Union Environment Ministry was that according to the process of environmental Sub- Group, each compliance work should be investigated by an independent monitoring mechanism. Environmentalist, Shekhar Singh had presented some issues pertaining to previous meetings and expressed the need of approval of the minutes; subsequently with his letter the minutes were adopted.
In the coming month, after finalizing the terms of reference for the independent monitoring committee, the issue of compliance with the EC and its monitoring will be undertaken. Until then the issue of the closure of the dam gates will not be discussed.
– Madhuresh Kumar, Kailash Avasya, Kamla Yadav, Dinesh Tadvi, Jikubhai Tadvi