Order welcomed by Narmada Bachao Andolan. In an interim order passed Thursday, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) admitted an appeal from two oustees of the Maheshwar dam project and stopped the closure of the gates and the partial filling of the Maheshwar dam till the next hearing. A bench of the NGT, New Delhi, comprising acting chairperson Justice A.S. Naidu and expert member Dr. D. K. Agrawal, passed the order in a case filed by two oustees of the Maheshwar dam project—Sanjay Nigam and Antar Singh Patel. The NGT's interim order was welcomed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) as “much needed relief”. The NGT also issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of Madhya Pradesh, project promoters Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited (SMHPCL) and the Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited, restraining them from filling of the dam up to a level of 154 meters. The National Green Tribunal was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, for expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources. The NGT order came in a case challenging the MoEF order of last month which allowed the filling up of the Maheshwar dam up to a height of 154 meters. The two oustees had challenged the order on the ground that its implementation would result in the loss of life and livelihoods of thousands of people living in the river-side villages. The appellants argued the MoEF order was based on false information provided by the district collector, Khargone, who claimed there would be no submergence of lands and houses at 154 metres. They also claimed the implementation of the MoEF order, which completely overlooked the impact of the backwaters at 154 meters, would cause violation of the Right to Life of the oustees, and would cause irreparable damage to the environment and the life and livelihood of the people. The 400 MW Maheshwar dam is India's first privately financed hydro-electric project and is one of the 39 big dams being built across the Narmada river. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 5.