Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform puja at Gujarat’s lifeline Sardar Sarovar Dam on August 12 to mark completion of the dam project constructed on the river Narmada.
Modi will also address a huge rally at Dabhoi in central Gujarat on the same day. The Gujarat Government has form a committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel to celebrate 10 day long Narmada Mahotsav across the state starting from July 27 to cheer the completion of Sardar Sarovar Dam.
Divulging detail about the celebration to be continued till August 5, Patel said that 85 raths (chariots) will start simultaneously from 14 cities and 71 towns on Thursday. These chariots would pass through 10,000 villages and 24 districts across the length and breadth of the state, he added.
Each chariot will cover 10-12 villages daily, the next ten days and chariots will be decorated with the symbolic idol of Narmada Maiya. Every day during the celebration women will perform Aarti and cultural programmes at different locations on the arrival of chariots
The village-level volunteers will follow the chariot in bicycle rally. Each village will also arrange some events at schools to mark the completion of the much awaited project. Prominent places along the Narmada Main Canal will be illuminated with light-and-sound and laser shows. Gujarati folk singers have been assigned to perform from August 8 to 10 on theme Narmada and its benefits. As the atmosphere builds, the celebrations culminate in grand finale on August 12 with the Prime Minister’s public rally. According to Patel a number of competitions in essay, poetry, short mobile video films have been arranged for youth and students with cash prizes of Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000.
It was the late Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel who conceived the idea of constructing a dam over the river Narmada in 1946-47 for the optimum use of Narmada waters for the welfare of the Nation. Presently the Sardar Sarovar Project is one of the largest water resources project of India covering four major states - Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat and Rajasthan. Dam's spillway discharging capacity 85000 cumec (30.0 lakhs cusecs) would be third highest in the world. With 1133 cumecs (40000 cusecs) capacity at the head regulator, and 532 km. length, the Narmada Main Canal would be the largest irrigation canal in the world. The project will generate between 856 to 1007 million units per year of cheap and Eco-friendly, indigenous hydropower. Project would meet the drinking water needs of 9490 villages, 173 urban centers and benefits three sanctuaries.