The verdict and after
Get on with it
The Supreme Court's go-ahead to the Sardar Sarovar Project ( ssp ) was long overdue. It is a good judgement. It lays down the framework within which the project can continue. This will ensure that the work on the dam moves forward swiftly. The message is that it is necessary for the project to move ahead without wasting any more time. Of course, this would be subject to the safeguards to deal with concerns regarding the environment and the relief and rehabilitation ( r&r ) of the displaced people.
The wellbeing of the displaced is an important issue. Based on my visits to the rehabilitation sites, I can say that the r&r work is satisfactory overall. In fact, to compare r&r work of the ssp with that of development projects in the past is like comparing apples and oranges. The r&r package of this project is far more advanced than anything earlier. It will actually lay down a model for the future. I don't know of any similar project in the world that has been subjected to the kind of scrutiny that ssp has been put through. The fact that the authorities have to seek clearance from the sub-groups for environment and r&r for every increase in the dam height by five metres speaks volumes about the kind of safety mechanisms that have been built into the process.
On the issue of compensation, it is important to bear in mind that relief happens in three stages, the three