Surat, 28 October 2014

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today laid the foundation stone of 2,970-metre (2.97-km) long embankment on the right bank of the River Tapi in Surat, extending from Nehru Bridge up to low-lying Adalaj-Magdalla, to be built at a cost of Rs.16.42-crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Patel said that it is the government’s responsibility to save people’s life and property from natural calamities. She recalled that Surat got a facelift after the plague epidemic, and she wished the Suratis send again the message of clean and beauty to rest of Gujarat.

When completed the embankment could save about 3-lakh people residing in this floodplain whenever the surplus flood waters are released from the Ukai dam upstream, up to 2.5-lakh to 3-lakh cusec or more from time to time.

The last flood in 2006 had resulted in waters overflowing the banks after which the 32.18-km long embankment wall was raised on both banks of the river from Nehru Bridge to Kathod at a cost of Rs.174.30-crore to withstand up to 8.5-lakh cusec water flowing down the river, while work on 2.30-km is on at a cost of Rs.43.27-crore. The work on the sluice gates is also on.

The Jamnagar-based Indian Construction Company handed over a cheque of Rs.1.25-lakh to the Chief Minister’s Kanya Kelavani Nidhi towards girls’ education.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Finance Minister Saurabh Patel who is also in-charge the Surat district, Agriculture Minister Babubhai Bokhiria, Minister of State for Education Nanubhai Vanani, Surat Mayor Niranjan Zanzmera, MP Darshanaben Jardosh and C.R. Patil, MLAs Ranjit Gilitwala, Purnseh Modi, Ajay Choksi and Harsh Sanghvi, Municipal Commissioner Milind Torwane and Collector Rajendra Kumar, among others.