The Narmada Control Authority (NCA) has given the go-ahead for raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river from 95 metres (m) to 100 m. Several thousand people are faced with the threat of submergence during the monsoon as a result of this decision. Moreover, it is in violation of Supreme Court (SC) orders.
In October 2000, the SC had upheld land-for-land rehabilitation of all affected families six months prior to any increase in dam height. During the court's May 2002 summer vacation, the NCA permitted an increase in dam height from 90 m to 95 m. The displaced people appealed to a two-judge vacation bench which referred the matter to a new bench that would sit in the month of June. Meanwhile, the dam's height was raised to 95 metres.
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