Assistant Government pleader Kishorsinh S Matieda filed the caveat application (335/2000) in the court of the civil judge V R Vyas (senior division) here on April 3. The application was based on a letter written by the Narmada Jalsampati Paani Puravtha Vibhag of the State Government.

Copies of the caveat have been sent to Girish Patel, an advocate of the Gujarat High Court, NBA leader Medha Patkar, Father Mathews, Father Joseph (both of Rajpipla in Bharuch), Noorji Tadvi and Himanshu Thakkar (both of Badwani in MP.) They were identified as politicians in the caveat, which will remain in effect for a period of 90 days of it being filed.

``It is a provision to send copies of the caveat to all concerned and the six mentioned in the application are most likely to approach the court against the Sardar Sarovar Project,'' Matieda told Express Newsline on Wednesday.

The Government pleader said in the application that the Narmada project has been accorded top priority by the State Government under the National Water Policy of the Union Government. It adds that on completion, the multipurpose project will not only provide water to Gujarat, but other states as well.

The caveat pointed out that some individuals and organisations have raised some point or other since beginning of the Project to ensure that it is not completed.

``The State Government doubts that these individuals and organisations will attempts to obtain a stay on work of the Project by approaching the court with an application, writ or Public Interest Litigation,'' the pleader said, adding that if the court heard such a matter and passed a directive it was not in larger interests of the State.

The pleader said the caveat has been filed in the interest of both the State and the nation as a whole, and added that if any application, writ or charge against the State Government -- regarding the Narmada project -- was brought before the courts, a notice should be issued to the State Government and it should be heard before a directive or judgement is passed.

``This will ensure that any party cannot get a court injunction against the SSP without giving the Government a hearing,'' Matieda said.

The caveat has been filed on the basis of a letter (parab/1091/19/2/d) written by Dilipsinh Chauhan, Under-Secretary of the Narmada Jalsampati Pani Puravtha Vibhag. The letter was received by the pleader on March 31. Matieda added that copies of the letter has been sent to all Government pleaders throughout the State.