MP CM writes to Centre accusing Guj govt of violating schedule to fill Sardar Sarovar dam

Accusing the Gujarat government of violating the schedule of filling the Sardar Sarovar dam, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has urged the Centre to intervene in the matter.

Nath has written a letter to Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat urging him to call an urgent meeting of the Narmada Control Authority to discuss the issue at the earliest, an official at Madhya Pradesh public relations department said.

"In this letter, the MP CM said that according to the schedule, Sardar Sarovar reservoir was to be filled up to 134 metres height by August 31, 2019. The reservoir was to be filled up to just 135 metres during the month of September and by October 15, 2019, the reservoir was to be filled to the final level of 138.68 metres," the official said.

Nath further stated that by 12 pm on September 4, the reservoir had been filled up to 135.47 metres.

"It is clear from this that the schedule provided by the Narmada Control Authority has been violated, which was issued by the authority on May 10, 2019," the letter said.

He said that it is also unclear whether measures of dam safety have been adhered to.

"It is inexplicable on the part of Narmada Control Authority which has remained inactive. The Narmada Control Authority is expected to take action on its own in this regard," the chief minister wrote in the letter.

Nath said that filling of the Sardar Sarovar dam is required to be regulated according to the schedule as was agreed upon.

He said the Gujarat government should be directed to follow the prescribed schedule as issued by the Narmada Control Authority letter dated May 10, 2019.

The chief minister wrote that the issue is of utmost importance for Madhya Pradesh as relief and rehabilitation works are underway on a massive scale in the affected areas of Sardar Sarovar.