State, centre not proceeding with Par-Tapi-Narmada river link project: Minister
He said the state cabinet has reaffirmed this decision in its meeting.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Patel said the first attempt to introduce the project was made by the then govt in 1980, and it was reintroduced by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2011. A detailed project report (DPR) was prepared by the concerned ministry in 2017.
Patel recalled that chief minister Bhupendra Patel officially announced the suspension of the project in 2022.
Since then, neither the Gujarat govt nor the centre has taken any steps to revive it, he said, adding that the opposition should not mislead citizens about its status.
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The minister noted that questions on the Par-Tapi-Narmada river link were raised in the Rajya Sabha on Feb 10 and July 27. "The DPR referred to in the responses is from 2017, and no new DPR has been issued since. On Aug 10, union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil clearly stated that neither the central nor the state govt intends to proceed with this project," Patel said.
The Par-Tapi-Narmada link was designed to divert surplus water from the Par and Tapi rivers in south Gujarat to water-scarce areas of Saurashtra and Kutch.
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