Tuesday, May 9 2006 10:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Expressing shock over the Supreme Court declining its plea to stop construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam till completion of rehabilitation, NBA yesterday (May 8, 2006) vowed to 'fight to the finish' for the affected people.

"The Court has forgotten its own commitments to the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award, both in letter and spirit, and also the Constitutional right to life. By not giving a decision on cash or land, the Court has failed to stop the massive corruption of crores, as reported by the CAG, and unjust betrayal of adivasis," NBA leader Medha Patkar told reporters here.

She also directed her anger at the Centre accusing it of making a mockery of its role with regard to rehabilitation of the project affected families, especially adivasis.

"If this is the response by the System, we will have no alternative but to take it by its horns," she said.

"The Court's verdict is against the rights of the oustees who are protected by Article 21 of the Constitution. The verdict shows an anti-poor perspective," Patkar said.

She also expressed disagreement with the Court's justification for postponing the decision on the raising of the dam height on the ground of 'disputed facts.'

"When it became clear to every committee that visited the Valley before World Bank's, Union of India's to that of Members of Parliament that injustice was being imposed, and records and reports were flawed, the Court couldn't and didn't take the responsible task of investigation into the jumbling of not figures, but of families in thousands, nor a timely conclusion," she said,

The Court has failed to correct the gross arbitrariness of the Executive.