‘Techno-savvy’ Modi to welcome Narmada-Sabarmati sangam

Caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi will again try to be different and is all set to hog the limelight by performing puja from a boat on the Sabarmati river near Ellisbridge along with Pramukhswami Maharaj on Wednesday, the event being telecast live on four giant screens along with pyro techniques. Sources here, however, have said Mr. Modi has infact been responsible for delay in the project.

Sources add that according to the meeting of the NCA that had met after the positive judgment by the apex court, the height of the dam should have risen by 10 m by June and should have reached 100 m. However, the dam height has only been raised to 95 m plus the 3 m hump.

The state government has arranged a Narmada Utsav extravaganza to mark the confluence of the river Narmada with Sabarmati. The boat in which the puja will be performed is titled Narmada-Sabar Sangam Naiyya and the function will be held in the presence of sants and sadhus, ministers and prominent citizens. Meanwhile, Mr. Modi said here that the waters of Narmada are all set to enter Saurashtra through the 70 km long Kadi-Dhanki-Lilapur Saurashtra Canal System on August 30.

He added that the Narmada waters have reached Kadi, having already travelled 264 km from Sardar Sarovar Dam through Kevadia-Kadi Main Canal system. The caretaker Chief Minister said the state government will start generating power within 150 days from the day the clearance is given to raise the height of the dam to 110m but that will need the Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to extend full co-operation as far as rehabilitation of the Project Affected People is concerned.

About 200 cusecs of water will be pumped out of the Saurashtra Canal and poured into the 110 km long Vallabhipur Branch Canal system from Friday, to facilitate irrigation of 1.36 lakh hectares of land besides raising the ground water table and recharging the wells in Ahmedabad, Surendranagar and Bhavnagar districts, the Chief Minister added.

The Narmada waters will solve the twin problems of water and power shortage in the state to a great extent. The canal is expected to provide drinking water to 135 towns and 9000 villages on the way. In future the surplus water will be pumped up from the canal system and lifted to North Gujarat region where the underground water level have receded substantially and the flouride content has increased.

Also, the canal head power station is ready to start generating power from the dam the moment the water starts overflowing from 110 meters height.

Moreover, the water supply from the Narmada to water starved regions will approximately save about 150 MW of power in the agriculture sector which draws water from tube wells, he informed.

Republished from The Asian Age