Directing the State Government not to destroy or harm in any way the standing crops in several villages of Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh High Court deferred the hearing on petition seeking stay on canal excavation work in the Omkareshwar Canal Project, till April 3.
The court gave the direction on March 26, hearing the petition of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activists Medha Patekar and others asking for a stay order on the project. The next hearing in the case has been decided April 3.
The NBA has demanded that the project should be reviewed because large tracts of land in the command area of the canal are already irrigated and hence do not require further irrigation.
It has also contended that the in violation of Supreme Court order of 2011, the canal affected families have been given only compensation and no rehabilitation with alternative land as per their eligibility. It has been alleged that in course of excavations, the government has destroyed standing crops in several villages of the locality including Rampura, Nandra, Ramdada and others.
Controverting NBA’s allegations, State Government counsel Vivek Patwa said, “The villages about which the NBA is claiming that they do not require irrigation, fall in 38-41 km stretch out of the total 164 km long canal. There are other villages after this stretch, which require irrigation. The canal is not meant exclusively for the villages in question.”
“As far as the question of standing crops is concerned, the Government has already taken such measures that that no standing crops shall be destroyed or harmed. Besides, resettlement and rehabilitation work has already been provided to the affected families years ago,” he further said.
Earlier, nearly 40 men and women were arrested at Nandra village in Khargone on March 22 when they were opposing the excavation of canal in the village. All of them, except two persons have been subsequently released on bail.