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SC issues notice on petition alleging Sardar Sarovar water level raised for Modi b’day in violation of its order

Supreme Court issued notices on petition alleging that filling up Sardar Sarovar Dam for PM Narendra Modi’s birthday submerged of vast areas without proper rehabilitation of affected persons.

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Sardar Sarovar water level

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, Sep 18 issued notices to the Centre, state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) on a petition alleging that filling up Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada river to full capacity to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on Sep 17 led to submergence of vast areas without proper rehabilitation of affected persons.

The petition on behalf of five affected persons from Barwani, Dhar and Alirajpur districts of Madhya Pradesh was heard by a division bench comprising Justices NV Ramana and Justice Ajay Rastogi who fixed Sep 26 as the next date of hearing.

Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), spearheading a movement for the dam affected people, said the court will go into the question of rehabilitation before submergence as well as the water level to be maintained in the Sardar Sarovar Dam at the next hearing.

The writ petition has challenged the filling up of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to full capacity of 138.68 meters ahead of schedule and in contravention of the Narmada Water Tribunal directive and earlier judgments of the Supreme Court, wherein it is mandated that no submergence should take place without rehabilitation, the NBA statement said.

Sanjay Parikh, senior advocate appearing for petitioners, pointed out before the Supreme Court that in April this year the state of Gujarat insisted that the dam should be filled to full capacity of 138.68m, to check the safety of the dam and test the dam gates.

The NCA, on July 15, permitted increase in water level according to a fixed schedule, despite noting that the Narmada Tribunal Award stipulates that no submergence should take place without rehabilitation.

Also Read: Bike rally flagged off from Delhi for Vadnagar for PM Modi’s 69th Birthday Celebration

Even according to this schedule, the dam was to be filled to full capacity of 138.68 metres only by Oct 15. It said the water level in Sardar Sarovar was to be increased to 134.18 metres by August 31, to 137.72 meters by September 30 and to full capacity of 138.68 metres by October 15.

Though the NCA noted that rehabilitation of people had not been completed, the NCA allowed the scheduled rise in water level saying that according to the Narmada Tribunal award and orders of the Supreme Court, action plan should be framed by each state to shift people.

The petition alleged that after this illegal decision, water level of reservoir started rising. The level was raised with the target of reaching the full reservoir level of 138.68 m by the special date of September 17, 2019 (birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi).

This was in violation of the time schedule fixed, the petition said.

“As a result, 178 villages, people living there with women and children, having livelihoods, including prime agriculture, fisheries, cattle grazing, water transport, trading etc. with schools, dispensaries, places of worship, roads, large number of trees, grazing land got submerged, resulting in the human calamity of the worst kind. The said decision was, in fact, a cruel and inhuman way to compel people to vacate under threat of and imposed submergence,” the petition said.

The petition said the raising of water level by NCA without due rehabilitation was contrary to Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal’s Award (NWDTA) and earlier judgments of the Supreme Court, wherein it is mandated that no submergence should take place without rehabilitation.

Also Read: Gold Crown to mark PM Modi’s Birthday

Sanjay Parikh, Senior Advocate, appearing for Petitioners, submitted before the Supreme Court that Sardar Sarovar being an inter-State project, terms and conditions of the Award are binding on the concerned States (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra).

The stipulation that no submergence should take place till complete resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) is done, is not only a mandatory condition in the said Award, but was also affirmed by the Supreme Court judgments in 2000 and 2005. In those judgments, the Supreme Court held that even temporary submergence cannot take place till R&R is complete. After the last order in February, 2017, the complete R&R should have been done but the same did not happen and immense sufferings faced by the people, affecting livelihood, shelter and life, continue.

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Jammu and Kashmir: 10 killed as taxi rolls into gorge at Ramban, PM Modi announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh

Ramban deputy magistrate said that it was pitch dark and raining heavily when the accident occurred near Battery Chashma around 1.15am.

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In an unfortunate incident, ten passengers were killed when a taxi veered off the road amid heavy rain and fell into a gorge in Ramban district on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway early on Friday.

Baseer-ul-haq, Ramban deputy magistrate said that it was pitch dark and raining heavily when the accident occurred near Battery Chashma around 1.15am. He added that while the vehicle, believed to be a Chevrolet Tavera, has not been traced yet, 10 bodies have been recovered from the steep slope from where it went down 500 metres.

Police along with quick reaction teams, the local tehsildar, assistant commissioner, revenue, and other officials were at the spot supervising rescue work. Reports said that two identity cards were recovered from two bodies. 

The bodies were identified as taxi driver Balwan Singh, 47, of Amb Gharota in Jammu district, and Vipin Mukhiya, of Bhairagang in West Champaran district of Bihar. The identified bodies were taken to Ramban district hospital. Police asserted the taxi was on its way to Kashmir from Jammu.

Expressing grief over the accident in Ramban, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF, which would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Furthermore, the injured would be given Rs 50,000.  PM Narendra Modi also extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for a quick recovery of the injured. 

Taking to social media platform X, President Droupadi Murmu said that the news of many people getting killed after a vehicle fell into a ditch in Ramban area on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is very sad. She also offered condolences to the bereaved families.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir police shared on social media platform that a passenger taxi rolled down a deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Battery Chashma in Ramban area. It added that Police, SDRF and civil QRT Ramban reached on spot, rescue operation is going on.

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Hardeep Singh Puri says Sunita Kejriwal is preparing to hold Delhi CM post like Rabri Devi

The Union Minister was speaking to the media during the inauguration of Delhi BJP’s election office along with leaders including Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva and Bansuri Swaraj.

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Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday compared Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, hinting that she may be gearing up to take on her husband’s post. The Union Minister was speaking to the media during the inauguration of Delhi BJP’s election office.

The BJP leader further took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister for forming an alliance with the most corrupt party against whom they had started an anti-corruption movement with social activist Anna Hazare. The minister made the statement in response to a question regarding Sunita Kejriwal, who earlier today launched a whatsapp campaign advocating for support for her husband, who is in ED custody in connection with the Excise policy case.

In a video Sunita Kejriwal said her husband has challenged the most corrupt and dictatorial forces in the country and asked people to support her husband through their prayers and blessings. She issued 2 WhatsApp numbers 8297324624 and 9700297002 through which people can send their blessings, prayers or any other messages to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and she will communicate those to him.

She said yesterday Kejriwal had presented his side in the court, and the entire country heard it. She requested the people to listen to it if they had not listened till now. She added whatever Kejriwal had said in front of the court required a lot of courage. She said her husband is a true patriot. She requested the people to participate in the Kejriwal ko Aashirwad campaign.

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari also took a dig at Aam Aami Party asking why only Kejriwal’s wife is coming out in his support, and not the people of Delhi. He said the Honorable Justice of High Court said they cannot stop Arvind Kejriwals’ arrest that they are surprised why he hasn’t been arrested yet?

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Lok Sabha elections: INDIA bloc in Bihar seals seat-sharing deal, Congress get 9 seats, RJD 26

Purnea and Katihar, currently held by the Janata Dal (United), had emerged as the sticking point in seat-sharing talks between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

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The Opposition INDIA bloc sealed the seat-sharing deal in Bihar for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Mahagathbandhan’s largest constituent, RJD will field its candidates from 26 seats, including Purnea and Hajipur, while the Congress will contest on nine seats, including Kishanganj and Patna Sahib. Meanwhile, the Left will fight on five seats.

Purnea and Katihar, currently held by the Janata Dal (United), had emerged as the sticking point in seat-sharing talks between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Reportedly, the Congress has been made to give up the Purnea Lok Sabha seat, which recent entrant Pappu Yadav, husband of Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan, was hoping to contest, mentioning that he had received assurance of Congress ticket from Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

The seat will be contested by RJD, which recently gave the party ticket to JD(U) turncoat Bima Bharti, but stopped short of announcing it formally. The INDIA bloc seat-sharing announcement comes a day after the filing of nomination papers for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls was over. The RJD has fielded its candidates in all four seats going to elections in the first phase.

Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav attended an INDIA bloc meeting regarding Bihar’s seat-sharing formula at Congress leader Mukul Wasnik’s residence and said that the RJD, the Congress and the Left will fight the Lok Sabha elections together in Bihar. He added that the INDIA bloc partners have agreed verbally on the seat-sharing arrangement and all the constituents are getting a respectable deal. Tejashwi Yadav’s remarks came amid reports of disquiet in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance in Bihar over seat sharing.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the National Democratic Alliance, including the BJP, JD(U) and LJP won 39 seats. The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for April 19.

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