Modi wants to set up 'Jal Mandir' in every village

Gandhinagar, Mar 22 (UNI) Marking the World Water Day 2007, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today expressed his determination to set up 'Jal Mandir' (water committee) in every village of the State.

Holding a video conference with representatives of different villages of Patan district, Mr Modi took stock of water distribution system of the district. He said through Sujalam Sufalam and Narmada Pipeline projects, the government has brought drinking water to villages. The government has brought water to Kutch, the most parched district of Gujarat.

Praising the efforts put in by water committees of 390 villages, Mr Modi said ''Patan, which was considered to be perennially hit by water crises after Kutch, today stands transformed in terms of availability of drinking water.'' He claimed that his government had achieved in five years what would have taken 50 years in terms of supplying drinking water to villages. ''Yet, the Central government has not taken any note of this fact and granted a miserly sum of Rs 15 crore to the State.'' UNI