With Central Government’s Rs 730 crore financial assistance of Rs 130 crore in form of grant and Rs 1484 crore as soft loan for Sardar Sarovar Dam project canal network, the State Government envisaging completion of canals by the end of next year.
Speaking to media persons at the State capital Gandhinagar on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said financial assistance and soft loan came as a gift ahead of Janmashtami festivities for the people of Gujarat. The State Government would have to pay 6 per cent interest on loan given by the Centre on long term basis for the project, said Patel.
According to him construction work for canal network was going on despite court matter related to land acquisition and other court matters. The state government was in the process to sort out issues related to land acquisition he said adding that five years back the state government had decided to lay pipeline network connecting farms to main canals instead of making small canals. The decision helped to speed up the work as majority of land acquisition related matter resolved automatically, he claimed.
As on March 2018 out of the total approved length of nearly 71,750 km canal network, canals having a cumulative length of approximately 21000 km were yet to be built. While the main canal, having a length of 458.32 km was already completed, 129.47 km of branch canals, 382.93 km of distributaries, 2898.63 km of minor canals and 17,540.70 km of sub-minor canals were yet to be built across the state, stated Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in the House during last Budget session of the State Assembly.