A day after the exit polls predicted that the voters had decided to hand over the reign of the country in his hands; it was business as usual for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at Gandhinagar. On Tuesday morning, Modi held a meeting on water scarcity in Gujarat, and reviewed drinking water situation in the State and discussed Narmada water grid distribution system.
Modi instructed water supply board officials to supply drinking water in rural areas of the State using all possible sources apart from Narmada grid. The meeting was attended by Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel, Water Resources Minister Babu Bokhiria, Rural Development Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Energy Minister Saurabh Patel and Chief Secretary Varesh Sinha.
“Collectors of the entire district have been given adequate powers to arrange proper water supply. The State Government machinery will monitor on daily basis that sources are being used to supply water to different villages. The State has already done satellite mapping on water sources,” said Modi during the meeting. He also instructed officials to monitor all the dams and other major water sources and submit reports on weekly basis.
He also gave instructions to conduct separate satellite mapping to find out water for now extinct Saraswanti River. Currently the State Government provides 130 crore litre of water to 5,588 villages and 79 towns in Gujarat through Narmada water grid. The Chief Minister also ordered to arrange water tankers for the villages facing water scarcity.
Meanwhile, Modi also chaired an important meeting of BJP’s MlAs in the evening. It is believed that Modi would give hint about his successor as it is almost final that he will move to Delhi after the poll results. Apart from MlAs, senior Gujarat BJP functionaries were also present during the meeting. large number of media personnel assembled outside the Chief Minister’s Office at ‘Swarnim Sankul’.
Clearing the air on the MlAs’ meeting, Gujarat BJP general secretary and spokesman Vijay Rupani said that the party will decide on Modi’s successor only after the poll results and it will be decided by the party’s central parliamentary board.
He said that the meeting was focused on upcoming Krushi Mahotsav and Kanya Kelavani Mahotsav (Girl Child education campaign), in which Modi insisted all the MlAs to participate actively. “Personally I thought that Narendrabhai will take rest for 3-4 days after months’ long hectic poll campaign. However he decided to continue work instantly and also concentrated on the water situation of the State,” he added.