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The Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, has urged the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to grant approval for raising the height of Narmada Dam up to its full proposed level of 138.60 metres.
“I urge the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to grant us approval for raising the height of Narmada Dam to its maximum proposed level of 138.60 metres,” Mr Modi said, after laying foundation stone of Kutch Branch Canal (KBC) of Sardar Sarovar Project at the weekend.
“I also ask him (Prime Minister) to send a team of CBI to Kutch to gather information on whether people are happy as the work on KBC has begun here,” Mr Modi said.
Mr Modi's statement on CBI and the Prime Minister comes a day after the Supreme Court transferred inquiry of Tulsi Prajapati encounter case to CBI.
At present, the height of the dam is 132 metres and an increase in the height will help irrigate more areas, but it will also submerge vast areas of land in neighbouring Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, resulting in displacement of several families.
The five projects costing around Rs 1,265 crore, are projected to extend irrigation benefits to 2,78,561 acres of cultivable land spanning across 182 villages of seven talukas in Kutch district as part of the Sardar Sarovar Project.
“Kutchi people have been waiting for Narmada water since last 50 years, but now I don't want them to wait even for 5 years,” Modi said, while addressing the gathering.
Mr Modi also demanded that the Centre extend 90 per cent of financial assistance under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) for creation of water supply network in drought prone areas of the State.
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), the project implementing agency, has obtained the environmental clearance for the 20-km branch canal network stretch passing through the Wild Ass Sanctuary in Kutch.
The State government will spend an additional Rs 200 crore on preserving the natural habitat of the sanctuary.
The estimated cost of Narmada command area development work in Kutch district is about Rs 4,600 crore, out of which Rs 2,623 crore will be spent on the construction of KBC, while Rs 1,462 crore shall be for laying distribution network, a SSNNL official said.
The total private land proposed to be acquired for the project in Kutch district is 4,276 hectares, of which 1,270 hectares has been acquired.
“Work orders for the projects costing Rs 1,806 crore have been issued recently and tendering for rest of the contracts will be done latest by May, 2011,” a SSNNL official said.
“The projects will commence in the current fiscal and are expected to complete in next three years,” he said.
The state government has speeded up the SSP, after obtaining approval of revised cost estimate of Rs 39,240 crore from the centre, especially for laying canal network in North Gujarat, Saurasthra, and Kutch.
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