Namada waters will bring green-revolution to arid Kutch, Patan: CM


Patan, 14 August 2014

Amid the ear-deafening slogan shouting like “Narmde, Sarvede” (River Narmada, Gives Everything) by thousands of Kutchhi people, who had arrived here from every nook and corner of the arid Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts, Gujarat Chief Minister Smt. Anandiben Patel today dedicated the Kutch canal of the Gujarat’s life line project Sardar Sarovar Project’s, popularly known as Narmada Project’s, to the people at Zazam village of Santalpur tehsil in Patan district.

Speaking at the function, while welcoming the waters of river Narmada in arid Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts, the Chief Minister said the waters will quench the water thirst of the arid lands and will convert them into green-pastures soon.

Releasing the Narmada waters in the canal, the Chief Minister urged the people to utilize the waters with utmost restrain and with good water-managements as it is the first step towards bringing the green-revolution to this arid region.

Smt. Patel told the farmers of the region to adopt the drip and sprinkle irrigation systems for their crops to use every drop of Narmada waters to make its quintessential usage to provide irrigation benefits to maximum lands.

The Chief Minister further said, the recently given clearance by the Centre to raise the height of the main-dam on river Narmada by placing the flood-gates on it, would be finished in next three-years’ time and as a result this arid region will get more waters too! The Union Environment Ministry has also cleared the project of extending the canal networks into another 23 km in arid Kutch region, thus, this work will also be undertaken now, she added.

For Kutch regions — total network of Narmada canal is 357.185 km long. Of which, so far, canal works have been completed for 82 km. It would be extended to 144-km by the December-2014. The 357.185 km long canals would provide irrigation waters to 113,000 hectares of land in arid Kutch region, the Chief Minister added.

On the occasion, a cheque of Rs 111,000/- was handed to Smt. Patel as a donation to the Chief Minister Kanya Kelavni Fund.

Others who spoke on the occasion included, State Transport Minister Mr. Shankarbhai Chaudhary, MLA Mr. Nagarji Thakore, and Dr. J. N. Singh, Managing Director,SSNL.