Following is an excerpt from a report in Deccan Chronicle.

Mr Ramesh has pointed out that the project will not be accepted unless resettlement and rehabilitation works are taken up simultaneously with the construction of the dam. He said that the project required resettlement and rehabilitation of about 1,70,000 people living in four villages of Orissa and many more near Chhattisgarh, adding that there would be a public hearing conducted by the respective governments and a consensus on the issue would be arrived at.

He also said that the environment assessment reports that were prepared by private consultants engaged by the Union government were a joke. “I admit it publicly,” he said, “The reports are prepared by a person who is pushing for the project. I am very much concerned about it.” Mr Ramesh said that the ministry had blacklisted three consultants for preparing fraudulent reports and added that he had accredited about 200 consultants who were authorised to prepare environmental assessment reports for the government.