Palanpur: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at Memadpur in Vadgam taluka, assured the protesting local rural women and farmers that the water from Narmada would be poured into the Karmavad pond of Jalotara village in Vadgam taluka.

The demands for extending this pipeline have been going on for the past 30 years, and it took the form of an agitation recently ahead of the State assembly election. Addressing the issue, the CM promised to extend the existing Narmada pipeline from Kasara to Dantiwada to supply water to Karmavad pond.

The ground water level in Palanpur and Vadgam talukas in the eastern part of Banaskantha district has continuously gone deeper due to uncontrolled use of groundwater for irrigation. Ahead of the election the local opposition MLA had tried to trigger agitation across 125 villages for irrigation water in peak summer. Although the administration has rolled out the scheme in phased and has approved a pipeline to pour water into Mukeshwar Dam, the demand for Narmada water connectivity to Karamavad pond was still there. 

CM Bhupendra Patel was attending a school entrance ceremony at Memadpur village in Vadgam taluka, when locals raised their demands before him. They had proposed Narmada network connectivity to Karamavad pond.The Chief Minister assured to extend the Narmada Kasara-Dantiwada pipeline and fill the Karmavad pond with water.

According to MS Gadhvi, the Jal Andolan Samiti members thanked the Chief Minister first over his decision to supply water to Mukteshwar. And then a representation was made regarding Karmavad.The Chief Minister in reply prmomised that Kasra-Dantiwada line will be extended to Karmavad. DeshGujarat