India’s political class and celebrity-obsessed media would have long buried the issue of Narmada dam, with those displaced and dispossessed by the project, had it not been for noble and courageous crusaders like Medha Patkar.

If the government and opposition are hotly debating the issue and the Supreme Court has intervened to put the issue in its right perspective, the credit goes to Ms Patkar and her brigade of committed men and women. Ms Patkar, a qualified social scientist who has devoted her life to fighting for the rights of the dispossessed and oppressed, is indeed a rare shining example in the dark world of self-centred politics and opportunism. She has been on a hunger strike for the past 20 days demanding justice for and rehabilitation of thousands of poor families displaced by the monstrous project that has environment groups and experts agitated. Ms Patkar refuses to break her fast even as her doctors are increasingly concerned over her deteriorating condition. But those familiar with Ms Patkar’s past and history of the Narmada movement would know that she isn’t easily going to give up. After all, it’s not her first such protest.

We only hope the Supreme Court intervention yesterday asking the government to balance the construction of dam with rehabilitation will finally help resolve the issue soon. Although the top court has refused to stay the dam construction, as demanded by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, its directive to the government ordering urgent rehabilitation of displaced villagers should hopefully lead to credible results.

The business of rehabilitation must not be forgotten by governments concerned once the media focus on the issue shifts, as has been the case so far. Many a time in the past, whenever the issue of rehabilitation had been taken up by Ms Patkar and her followers and the media hung on to it, powers that be pretended to pay attention and act. But when the spotlight shifted, so did the attention of the politicians and governments concerned.

This time around, let’s hope, things will be different. The central government, which has assured the Supreme Court that it will ensure the rehabilitation of the affected families within three months, must lean on state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat to take urgent steps in this direction. Doubtless, the Congress-led government has demonstrated greater sensitivity on the issue than previous governments, largely thanks to the pressure exerted by Left parties, who form the UPA allies.

Without getting into the endless debate about the wisdom of building big dams such as the Narmada, it’s important to remember that no project is worth building by wrecking people’s lives. Which has been the case in Narmada.