Sardar Sarovar compensation: Guj offers MP 500 cr against 7600 cr demand

Bhopal: Amid the row over compensation for submergence of its state-run mines, revenue land and forest land in four districts of MP in Sardar Sarovar Dam backwaters, the Gujarat state govt has offered to pay Rs 500 crore to Madhya Pradesh against MP's demand of Rs 7,600 crore, top govt sources told TOI. While the MP govt wants an early redressal for the issue and is gunning for a monthly hearing on arbitration, the issue is likely to be delayed as two key IAS officers who were involved with the process are on way to deputation to the Centre.
MP and Gujarat are into arbitration for settlement of the issue, and MP is trying to hold its hearing on a monthly basis.
Of the two IAS officers of MP, Pawan Kumar Sharma, who while being the Indore divisional commissioner, did the exercise regarding compensation for mines, revenue and forest land in the submerged area in around 178 villages of Dhar, Barwani, Khargone and Alirajpur districts, has gone on deputation in Govt of India in August.
The second IAS officer John Kingsly AR, secretary, and director (Rehab) Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA), who was pushing the process and trying to get arbitration hearing on a monthly basis, is also likely to go on deputation to the Centre and has also received a no objection certificate from the govt. With the two key MP govt officials involved in the process going to the Centre on deputation the process is likely to be further delayed.
Compensation for the land acquired and submerged for the Sardar Sarovar Dam on River Narmada was divided into two categories. While compensation for acquisition of private land, houses and other structures has been paid, there has been no payout yet for submergence of mines and revenue and forest land in MP's Nimar region, officials of Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) say.
Officials said, the MP government approached the Gujarat government around three years ago to pay Rs 7,600 crore as compensation for mines and revenue and forest land that got submerged in 178 villages of Dhar, Khargone, Barwani and Alirajpur districts.
The compensation was calculated on the collector's guideline rates of property and land in 2019-20, senior officials said. A meeting was held in this regard in Indore in September 2022. Since March this year officials have been trying to have monthly hearings on the issue. Officials said the hearing did not take place in September and was cancelled due to heavy rains in Gujarat.
The officials said the objective was to reach a consensus acceptable to both the MP and Gujarat. Continuous dialogue would help to solve the issue soon. The dam was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in 2017 and had reached its highest capacity at 138.7 meters in 2019.