Ahmedabad, 11 March 2013

Entire Gujarat assembly house today passed the budget proposals for Narmada project in one voice, without any opposition. Some opposition party MLAs who had earlier proposed cut in the budget demands for Narmada project took back their cut proposals.

Finance Minister Shri Nitin Patel on this occasion narrated some interesting details on the ongoing project and its completed parts.

-The state government has proposed Rs 9000 crore for Narmada Yojana in the latest budget draft. Ever since the project kicked off, this is the largest approved sum in any budget.

-The union government should now permit construction of gates over the dam, and should also permit the height of 138 meter.

-Presently the height of the dam is 121.92 meters, it it is 138.68 meter, 427 crore sq meter more water can be stored, and total water storage may reach 4.73 million acre ft mark which can irrigate 6.8 lakh ha land. Moreover per year power generation can increase by 40%.

-With Rs 9000 crore budget allocation this year, 14085 km works of canals, branch canals, sub-branch canals etc will be carried out and 77144 ha land will be developed upto sub minor. 454 water usage groups will be registered.

-By December 2012, total 21116.19 km length of works of main canal, branch canal, sub-branch canals etc are completed.

-There’s a plan to build 74626 km canals.

-Sardar Sarovar project’s irrigation area is around 18.45 lakh ha covering 3112 villages of 73 talukas in 15 districts.

-458 km works of main canal are over, and 2151 km works of branch canals are over.

-Saurashtra and Kutch areas are supplied water through number of pumping stations.

-Rs 38536.12 crore are spent for various sections of this project by 31 December.

-Garudeshwar vier is being constructed in 11 km area to store 30800 lakh square ft water at a cost of Rs 300 crore in the down stream area of Sardar Sarovar dam. This will not only help in storage of more water, but also will be useful for generation of more power.

-16613 ha private land has been acquired.Of that, 12503 ha land has been acquired by paying Rs 761 crore to 83392 farmers.

-Total installed capacity of all power stations at Sardar Sarovar dam is 1450 MW. Total power generated here is worth Rs 10500 crore.