Morva (Panchmahal)

Attacking main opposition Congress, Gujarat Chief Minister Mrs Anandiben Patel today alleged that the earlier governments of Congress which treated ‘Aadivais as mere vote banks’ never tried to find a permanent solution to the water scarcity problem in the state and had intentionally kept the tribal population deprived of the facility of piped drinking water.

During the stone laying ceremony of the Rs 137 crore Hareda water supply project, the chief minister also said that the Congress party notorious for its corrupt ‘tanker raj or rule’ in Gujarat has no right to speak on the issue of the drinking water supply.

She said that her government has earmarked around 50% of the total budget allocation for water supply to the areas with tribal populace. ‘In this year’s budget there is a provision of Rs 3500 crore for water supply of which 1700 crore, around 50%, has been allocated for the drinking water supply to the tribal areas. The project for which stone laying was done today will start providing adequate water around three lakh people of 51 villages of Morva Hadaf from next year. The BJP government don’t let the availability of money become an obstacle for such pro-people projects,’ she said.

Attacking Congress she said,’ the party which treated the tribal people as mere vote bank kept it deprived of a sheer necessity like drinking water. ‘Those involved in corruption during the tanker raj of congress have no right to talk about the drinking water issue in the state,’ she said in a veiled reference to the ongoing demonstrations backed by the Congress.

The Chief Minister said, ‘ Congress during its own rule could not find a solution to the vexed water issue and when the BJP government in the state led by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi tried to find a solution, the Congress government at center created all kinds of obstacles as part of a conspiracy. When we talked of the Narmada water project and its long canal network, which is even larger than the great wall of china, these Congressmen took a jibe at us saying no water but only air will flow through the canals. Mr. Modi had after just 17 days from his anointment as Prime Minister gave clearance to the works of the project.’

Water Supply minister and new state BJP president Vijay Rupani on the occasion said that the state government has made elaborate arrangements to supply adequate water to 7500 odd villages and 125 towns of the state during the coming summer. The quota of per capita supply has been increased from earlier 30 liters to 50 liters. ‘It is because of the well planned water management of the state government that the jawans and officers of the 54 border outposts in Banaskantha and Kutch districts, who are serving the nation by defending the borders,are also getting pure drinking water through piped supply,’ he said.

– DeshGujarat

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