Narmada dam to be completed by November

Vadodara, July 9: With the onset of monsoon over Gujarat, the authorities of the multipurpose Sardar Sarovar Dam project have set a fresh deadline of November for increasing the height of the controversial dam to its approved level of 121.92 metres.

Initially, when the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) took up the construction work at the Kevadia Colony, the day Narmada Control Authority (NCA) granted permission for an increase in the dam height from 110.64 metres to 121.92 metres on March eight, the Nigam was hopeful of achieving the target by June 30. But the most ambitious project of the state got delayed because of several constraints.

''At present our target is to first reach a height of 119 metres in all the 29 blocks in the next one week's time and resume work for the remaining three metres after the monsoons in the last week of October,'' according to project chief engineer O P Gulati.

Talking to UNI today, Mr Gulati said, while 17 of the 29 blocks had already reached the level of 119 metres, work was going on with full speed to increase the height of the remaining 12 blocks which were now at a level of 117.8 metres.

Since the monsoon had already set in, he said, the work had to be stopped as it was difficult to maintain all the systems and supply lines at the dam site.

Expressing his hope that the dam would reach its approved height of 121.92 metres by November this year, the chief engineer said, ''Our objective was to achieve maximum height before the monsoon and we have tried our best to achieve this despite so many constraints.''

UNI