Modi to dedicate Narmada dam to nation
The height of the dam was recently raised to 138.68 metres
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in his native Gujarat on his 67th birthday today to dedicate the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation and address two rallies.
He is also expected to visit his mother Heeraben Modi, a tradition he has been following over the years.
Modi will visit two of his favourite projects on his birthday — the Sardar Sarovar Dam Project and the Statue of Unity being built in the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
While the 182-metre Statue of Unity is a project conceived by Modi, he has also been consistently in favour of increasing the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
The height of the dam was recently raised to 138.68 metres.
An official release said the increase in the dam height will facilitate a usable storage Social activist Medha Patkar and 37 villagers have been standing in neck-deep waters on the banks of the Narmada river in a village in Madhya Pradesh (MP) to demand the rehabilitation of families affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD), which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today on his 67th birthday.
As the BJP government in Gujarat plans a big bash to celebrate Modi’s birthday at SSD when he will dedicate the dam to the nation, “Patkar, with 30 women and seven men, continue to stand in neck-deep water in the Chota Barda village in MP to protest against the government’s failure in fully rehabilitating or paying compensation to the dam-affected families,” said Bilal Khan, an activist of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA).
The Narmada Control Authority had ordered 30 gates of the Sardar Sarovar Project to be shut on June 16 to allow for the height of the dam to be increased from 122 metres to 138 metres. Modi will inaugurate the project after the opening of the 30 gates.
Khan said, “Water from Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams [is] being released and is expected to inundate the banks and the surrounding areas. But Medha and others will continue with their protest even though the water is rising.” of 4.73 million acre feet and will greatly benefit the participating states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
It said the project has helped transport the waters of the Narmada river to the water-deficient areas of Gujarat through an elaborate canal and pipeline network.
“Irrigation from the project is expected to benefit about one million farmers and drinking water to be supplied to various villages and towns is likely to benefit up to 40 million people,” the release said.
The project has been described as one of the biggest human endeavours for water transport. Up to a billion units of hydropower are also expected to be generated annually.
From the dam site, the prime minister will travel to Sadhu Bet, where the Statue of Unity, an iconic statue and associated memorial complex for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is currently under construction.
“The prime minister will be given an overview of the progress of work on this project. The project comprises a 182-metre-tall statue, an exhibition hall, a memorial garden, and a visitor centre,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Modi will attend the closing ceremony of the Narmada Mahotsav and address the gathering at Dabhoi.
He will lay the foundation stone for the National Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museum during the event.
The prime minister will later visit Amreli, where he will inaugurate a new market yard of APMC. He will also inaugurate new plants of Amar Dairy, and lay the foundation stone of a honey production centre. He will address a Sahakar Sammelan at Amreli.