Other States - Rajasthan   

Rajasthan Govt. officials to review Narmada project works

Special Correspondent

Adequate infrastructure developed to receive and transport water; Task Force meeting to be convened in July

JAIPUR: A high-level team of senior Rajasthan Government officials will visit neighbouring Gujarat in the first week of July to review the progress of construction works on the Narmada Project for supply of water from the dam to southern districts in the desert State and speed up their completion.

Gujarat is constructing a 458-km-long canal from the Narmada dam to the border of Rajasthan for supplying water and had completed the construction of a 358-km-long stretch nearly two years ago. The delay in the completion of the remaining portion has caused concern here and prompted the State Government to take up the matter with the authorities in Gujarat.

State Water Resources Minister Sanwarlal Jat, presiding over a meeting of the Narmada Task Force here over the week-end, said the team would first go to Ahmedabad and then visit the construction sites. The officials will provide their feedback at the next meeting of the Task Force to be convened in July after their return.Mr. Jat said Rajasthan had developed adequate infrastructure in Jalore and Barmer districts to receive and transport the Narmada waters to distributaries and was eagerly looking forward to release of water from Gujarat.

The State Government has created a new post of Chief Engineer for Narmada Project, to be headquartered at Sanchore in Jalore district, for effective monitoring and speeding up of works. Jaipal Singh, presently posted at the Indira Gandhi Canal Project in Bikaner, has been appointed the first Chief Engineer under the project and asked to assume the charge in Sanchore. The Minister said the State Government had sanctioned Rs. 74.06 crores for second phase of the integrated fluorosis control programme being implemented in 5,056 villages across the State to ensure supply of clean drinking water to the rural population. Besides, Rs. 21.64 crores will be spent on strengthening the drinking water supply infrastructure in the outer areas in Jodhpur city. .The Boongi-Rajgarh water supply scheme will also be implemented shortly , he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Torture prevention project extended to more States
Rajasthan Govt. officials to review Narmada project works
Notice to Salman for `misleading' court

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu