SURAT: Even as the state government on Saturday announced the cancellation of Par-Tapi-Narmada river-link project, the Congress said that the planned protest rally by tribal groups on May 27 will be held. Chief minister Bhupendra Patel announced here on Saturday that the project had been scrapped.
The CM held a press conference to announce this and later he was felicitated at a small gathering of elected representatives and BJP workers from the tribal region, on the premises of the circuit house. BJP’s tribal MLAs from Valsad and Navsari were present.
The announcement has come nearly two months after state BJP president C R Paatil said that the project will not be given a go-ahead by the Centre, after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
“It was announced by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget to develop the Damanganga-Par-Tapi-Narmada river-link project for the development of tribals in the region. Some people have spread a message among tribals that the project is not in favour of tribals,” Patel told the media.
The CM said the project was being opposed on wrong information. “The central and Gujarat governments have been implementing various projects that have benefited the tribal population. Any project of the central government is implemented only after the approval from the state government and the river-link project has not been given any approval by the state government,” he said.
“This project will not continue. In a meeting with central and state ministers and elected representatives, all have agreed to declare it cancelled,” said Patel.
Replying to a question about the demand of Congress leaders for a white paper on the issue, Patel said: “There is no need for any white paper since we have declared it cancelled.”
Meanwhile, Congress leaders said that the protest will continue and the events announced earlier will take place. “They are declaring the project cancelled but I demand that the government come up with a white paper. The tribals will continue to protest till the government does not issue a white paper,” said Anant Patel, Congress MLA from Vansda.
Congress and tribal groups have planned to hold a rally on May 27 in Vansda, where a large number of tribal people are likely to gather. “Maha Rally will be held as planned. A large number of tribals are going to attend the rally,” said the Congress MLA.
In her budget speech, Sitharaman had said that the draft DPR of the five river-links had been finalised and consensus among beneficiary states was awaited. “The Centre will provide support only after a consensus is made among the states associated with the projects,” she had said.
As per the India Water Resources Information System, the project had proposed to transfer water from the water surplus regions of the Western Ghats to deficit regions of Saurashtra and Kutch, involving seven reservoirs proposed in north Maharashtra and south Gujarat. Apart from seven dams, it envisaged three diversion weirs, two tunnels, 395km long canal, six power houses and a number of cross-drainage works.
