The mood of the people against the WCD panel was volatile and as a measure to maintain law and order, the panel members could face arrest, Patel said at a function organised here by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Asking the WCD to cancel its visit to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the chief minister said the commission had no locus standi to visit Sardar Sarovar dam site in Gujarat to examine it especially when the matter was before the Supreme Court.

He said the panel consisted of people with ``dubious background'' and known baiters of the Narmada project like L C Jain and Medha Patkar.

Patel said he saw a conspiracy to derail the project in the proposed WCD visit. Prima facie the purpose of the visitseemed to be putting hurdles on completion of the project as super-powers who funded the World Bank were bent upon stalling it, he alleged.

``Just for the sake of it they were creating hurdles on the completion of the project in the name of violation of environmental issues and human rights and rehabilitation of project-affected persons,'' Patel added.

Patel said the WCD should not forget that in a drought-prone state like Gujarat, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project had the potential to mitigate the sufferings of the people regarding drinking water and irrigation.

On September 11, a special one-day session of the state Assembly would be convened wherein a unanimous resolution would be passed condemning the proposed visit, the chief minister said.

The prime minister would also be requested to stop the WCD team from visiting the two states, he added.