Narmada waters reach Rajasthan border

Tharad, Gujarat, Mar 27 (UNI) With the completion of 458 km long Narmada canal of Sardar Sarovar Project, waters of Narmada river have now reached to water scarcity prone areas of the state near Rajasthan border.

Amid the chants of ''Narmade Sarvade'' (Narmada the giver of everything), Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi this morning paid obeissance to river godess Narmada and dedicated the main canal to the nation.

Addressing a big public rally, Mr Modi termed the event as a ''historical one'' and said that the State Government, after braving many obstacles, had been able to fulfill the wishes of people of Gujarat as well as other states.

The 458 km long canal will carry 40 million cusec water per second. The concrete used for the construction can be used to make a 11,000 km long four lane road. The State Government has managed to take the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam at 121.92 meter after a six year legal battle. Now the project is producing 1,450 mega watt capacity of electricity.

Mr Modi urged the people to consider water as a gift of god and asked them not to waste a single drop of it. He also advised the farmers to opt for drip irrigation system, which is economical and effective in water management.

He said that India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation stone of the Sardar Sarovar Project in 1961 and successive governments in the next 40 years spent Rs 14,000 crore and constructed 144 km of the canal. But the BJP government took keen interest and spent Rs 11,000 crore in the last five years and completed the construction work at war footing.

Senior ministers, MLAs and people from various areas of the state were also present on the occasion.

UNI HT NM PDT GC2009