Gujarat EDN
DNA 02OCT2012
Ministers address rallies on dam sites, no one knows when
Narmada water will actually flow
DNA Correspondent l Ahmedabad
Never mind that it’s still in draft stage, but that isn’t
deterring Modi and his boys from fanning across the state to create a huge
public awareness campaign about the Rs11,000 crore Saurashtra Narmada Avataran
Irrigation Project aka Sauni Yojna.
The project proposes to fill 115 irrigation dams of
Saurashtra with surplus Narmada water — an ambitious scheme that Modi
government wants to completely capitalise on.
A full page advertisement on the scheme was published on
Sunday in all the regional language newspapers and on Monday half a dozen
cabinet ministers were out in the field. Ministers were busy addressing public
at the dam sites which are proposed to be filled by proposed the scheme.
Hearing the speeches by the ministers, Kiritsinh Rana and
Ramanlal Vora in Surendranagar, it looked as if water was about to flow from
Monday itself filling up the empty dams in the district. However, the ground
reality is this that there is no clarity when the scheme will be launched
finally.
“We do not have any idea on the day and timeframe on when
the work for the scheme will begin. We even do not have detailed project report
ready for the same. Nothing, however, will begin before January 2013,” sources
in the state government said.
The scheme was announced by chief minister Narendra Modi on
September 25 at Rajkot. As per the scheme, a survey will be carried out to
learn about Saurashtra’s topography and the scheme proposes to divide the
region into four link zones – east, west, central and south zones. Narmada
water will be filled through gravity in 115 dams of seven districts by 1,115 km
long link canals of all the four zones.
Meanwhile, Modi cabinet has already started holding public
rallies at the proposed dam sites in the region. State finance minister
Vajubhai Vala, revenue minister Anandiben Patel, education minister Ramanlal
Vora and minister of state for rural development Mohan Kundaria were in Rajkot
district explaining the benefits of the scheme at various dam sites. Similar
events are lined up on October 3 and 4 at Amreli district. Minister of
agriculture Dilip Sanghani and minister for panchayat, rural housing Narottam
Patel will be addressing the public at Khodiyar and Shel Duddal dam site in the
district. Minister of state for energy, finance and industry Saurabh Patel and
minister of state for cooperation and sports Ishwarsinh Patel will participate
in similar event at Bhavnagar.
