Big day for Kutch, Modi kicks off construction work of Kutch branch Narmada canal

Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the construction work of the Kutch Branch Canal (KBC) at Rapar town in Kutch district. Narmada water will be available to Kutch for irrigation by 2014, with the starting of construction work on the Kutch Branch Canal (KBC).

Natives of Kutch were present from Mumbai in a special train for this function and they also did ‘Rajat-Tula’ of the chief minister – weighing the CM with silver in a balance.

The Kutch Branch Canal will be 360 km in length with discharge capacity of 7,700 cusecs. More than 2.78 lakh acres of land in 182 villages of seven talukas of Kutch will benefit with water for irrigation.

Narmada’s gravity ends at Banaskantha, so three big pumping stations will be constructed to provide water by way of lift irrigation at the cost of Rs1,265 crore. The work contracts are given on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis to big contractors, where there is a clause for maintenance of the canal for five years.

Some part of Kutch Branch Canal is passing through the wild ass sanctuary and Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam had to wait for two years for approval from the union ministry of forests and environment.

The government has ensured that natural movements of wild ass (gudkhar) doesn’t get affected because of KBC. We have made special structures for the wild ass to cross the canal in a 20-km area of the sanctuary. We have spent Rs7 lakh per wild ass in this area. The total cost for these special arrangements will be around Rs200 crore.