Skip to main content

Rs 1,000 crore scam in payment to Narmada dam oustees: Commission asked to scrutinise into all cases

By Our Representative
In an important setback to the protagonists of the Narmada project, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has come down heavily on rampant corruption, alleged to be to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore, asking the state government to ensure that the Justice Jha Commission of Inquiry  looks into every case of corruption. Ramant corruption resulted from the Madhya Pradesh government policy of handing over cash instead of land as compensation to the Narmada dam oustees. The top anti-dam body, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), welcoming the High Court order, said, the court has "validated" the Jha Commission, wanting the inquiry to "reach its logical conclusion."
The NBA claimed, “The order shall have a significant effect on the working on the commission, which has to scrutinize all cases of cash disbursals, in order to ensure that the oustees, mostly non-literate, tribals, farmers and landless, are not swindled by the corrupt nexus of officials and agents. Payments without scrutiny would have opened up a Pandora’s Box, which has been avoided by the High Court’s intervention.”
The NBA quoted the court order to say that the Jha Commission must be allowed to proceed with its inquiry without any delay, adding, the Madhya Pradesh government “is obliged to honour the direction given by the Supreme Court on May 11, 2009 regarding disbursement of compensation by way of cheques or cash after April 24, 2009, subject to the scrutiny by the Justice Jha Commission." Saying that this condition is now become "inviolable”, the NBA added, now payments to oustees would have to be obligatorily made by the government after verification from the Jha Commission.
In fact, the NBA said, all payments would have to be placed before commission for verification "within seven days, after which the commission shall furnish the report within two weeks, for necessary orders" for payment. The order was passed on an application by the NBA, which challenged the action of the state government and the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) for not complying with the orders of the Supreme Court and the High Court on mandated pre-payment scrutiny of rehabilitation.
Significantly, the Madhya Pradesh government was interpreting the Supreme Court order as applicable to only 396 oustees, whose case was examined in the apex court. The NBA said, “After exchange of detailed pleadings and hours of oral submissions, the High Court upheld that the order dated May 11, 2009 of the Supreme Court mandating pre-scrutiny of all cash/cheque payments shall not be eclipsed by the subsequent specific order of the Apex Court, permitting cash payment only in cases of 396 oustees. Thus, the contentions of the state, based on misrepresentation of judicial orders were rejected.”
The NBA further said, “It is well-known that as per the High Court’s orders since 2008, the commission has been investigating a massive corruption scam in the rehabilitation of oustees in Madhya Pradesh to a tune of Rs 1,000 crore, including almost 2,000 fake land registries, irregularities in civic amenities at 88 resettlement sites, fraud in house plot allotments, resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) grants to ineligible persons and betrayal of thousands landless persons entitled to alternative livelihood.”
“After issuing stern orders to the Chief Secretary, which has led to appointment of three senior full-time officials to assist the commission in the last months of 2013, the court took into consideration the undertaking given by the senior counsel, appearing for the government of Madhya Pradesh, that henceforth all permissible cooperation would be extended to the commission for its smooth functioning”, the NBA said.

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”