Gandhinagar: Just as Gujarat has become an Energy Surplus State, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today expressed his desire to make it also a Water Surplus State. While the state’s entire budget used to be Rs 8,000 crore once, it has grown to Rs 14,000 crore on drinking water management alone, reflecting the state government’s commitment to make water problem a matter of past.
He said that water is our prerequisite and a priority as the state government is committed to make the water problem a matter of past, to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project Nal Se Jal to provide potable tap water in every house by 2021-end.
Mr. Rupani was speaking at a function from Dabhoi to gift Rs 417 crore drinking water project for Vadodara district and start Rs 46 crore facilities around Shri Kuber Bhandari pilgrim centre at Karnali.
The drinking water project includes Rs 71.86 crore Dabhoi Water Supply Group part-2 for 86,000 oustees of Narmada project in 74 villages and 14 hamlets in Parts taluka, and foundation laying of Rs 184.50 crore Narmada Canal based bulk pipeline project for 183 villages and Karjan town in Shinor, Karjan and Vadodara talukas.
He also laid stone of Rs 161.03 crore Mahi River based Group Water Supply Scheme to provide drinking water to 88 viilages, 34 hamlets and Padra town in Vadodara district. He also released Panch Jal Setu book published by District Administration.
Mr. Rupani recalled how the state has moved forward from days of water trains to Rajkot and supplying drinking water through tankers during summer, a source of corruption, the rich cornering the bulk of water from tankers. The Group Water Supply Schemes, which were in its infancy, has been expanded to 8,686 villages now through 2,610 km bulk pipeline at a cost of Rs 37,564 crore by the BJP government after 2000 under the leadership of then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Water is supplied through pipeline in 100 percent houses in Gandhinagar, Porbandar, Anand, Mehsana and Botad districts.
He said the state government has launched a project on October 2 to connect all schools and anganeadis with tap water in 100 days as part of Prime Minister’s Nal Se Jal. About one lakh homes are connected by tap water in state every month.
Mr. Rupani said that Prime Minister will lay stone of a desalination plant at Mandvi in Kutch on December 15 to meet demand for the district. The State Government is relentlessly working to meet people’s aspirations and expectations, for ease of doing business and ease of living, implementing Seva Setu, fighting Covid-19.
Gujarat Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rajendrabhai Trivedi, Water Supply Minister Kunwarji Bavaliya and Water Supply Board Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi and Collector Shalini Agrawal spoke on the occasion.
Those present included Minister Dilipbhai Thakor, Minister of State Yogeshbhai Patel, MPs Ranjanben Bhatt and Gitaben Rathwa, District Panchayat President Ilaben Chauhan, MLAs Shaileshbhai Mehta, Ketanbhai Inamdar, Akshay Patel, Jitendra Sukhadiya, Madhubhai Shrivastava, Manishaben Vakil, Seemaben Mobile and others.
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