Narmada Bachao Andolan vs. Union of India - International ...

project and ensure that the conditions are properly met through a process of clear assignment of responsibility andfrequent monitoring. The modus operandi for instituting a monitoring system could be discussed at themeeting.113. On 26 November, a meeting took place which was attended, inter alia, by the Secretary, Ministry of WaterResources, the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Additional Secretary, Prime Minister Secretariatand representatives of the Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat regarding the environmental aspects ofthe Narmada Sagar and Sardar Sarovar Project. The minutes of the meeting, inter alia, disclosed ‘it was decidedthat the Government of Gujarat would identify lands for allocation to the project affected persons of MadhyaPradesh within a specified period of time. The meeting also envisaged the arrangement of a monitoring andenforcement authority to monitor the project and to ensure that the actions on the environmental aspects proceedaccording to the schedule and pari passu with the rest of the project’. The authority was not to be mainly anadvisory one but was to be given executive powers of enforcement including power to order stoppage of constructionactivity in the event of its being of the opinion that there was a lack of progress in action on the environmentfront.114. On 19 December 1986, the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests sent to the Secretary to the PrimeMinister a combined note on the environmental aspects of both the projects, namely Narmada Sagar and SardarSarovar Project. In this note, it was, inter alia, stated that there was absence and inadequacy on some importantenvironmental aspects even though the Sardar Sarovar Project was in a fairly advance stage of preparedness.The note also recommended the establishment of the Narmada Management Authority with adequate powers andteeth to ensure that the Environment Management Plan did not remain only on paper but was implemented;and implemented pari passu with engineering and other works. In the end, in the note, it was statedas follows:If, despite the meagre availability of data and the state of readiness on NSP, the Government shoulddecide to go ahead with the project it is submitted that it should do so only on the basis of providing aManagement Authority as outlined above with the hope that the public opposition, not just by vestedinterests but by credible professional environmentalists, can be overcome. Effective implementation ofthe engineering and environmental measures simultaneously would go a long way to prove that evensuch a project can be implemented by harmonising environmental conservation needs with thedevelopment effort.The choice is difficult but a choice has to be made.Along with this note was the statement showing the cost and benefits of the Narmada Sagar and Sardar Sarovardam. The same reads as follows:21