Modi seeks state help to link Damanganga with Sabarmati

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought the co-operation of the Maharashtra government to link river Damanganga, flowing across Maharashtra, with Sabarmati river in Gujarat.

Addressing the inaugural function of the MahaExpo-2003, Modi said both the Gujarat and the Maharashtra governments should work together in various development projects, in spite of their political differences.

"Only around 45 years back, Gujarat and Maharashtra were a single state. Though now it has been divided to two separate states, both will have to work together in building a strong industrial infrastructure and launching developmental projects. I will request Maharashtra chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde to co-operate with the Gujarat government in its initiative to link Damanganga river with Sabarmati which will benefit both the states," Modi said.

Modi said once the Damanganga river is linked with Sabarmati, it will help the entire western region develop farming and irrigate the parched lands.

Modi earlier held a meeting with Shinde to discuss various issues involving both the states.

Talking about how both the states can work together to tide over the power crisis, the chief minister said, "Construction work on the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river is now in full swing. We have already built the dam up to the level of 103 metres. Once the Maharashtra government completes the rehabilitation of the project-affected people, we can raise the dam height up to 110 metres as allowed by the Supreme Court. This will lead to the revival of our 1,500 MW power plant in Narmada district."

The power plant, which is all set to operate, need to wait till the height of the dam is raised up to at least 110 metres.

The Gujarat government is at present spending Rs one crore every month to maintain the machinery of the plant and pay salaries to the staff. Shinde promised his Gujarat counterpart that the rehabilitation work will be completed in the next one and half months.

"Once this power plant starts operation, Maharashtra stands to gain more than Gujarat," Modi said.

Modi said Gujarat will record a 10.2 per cent growth, exceeding the target. Modi said by the end of the current fiscal year, Gujarat will record a double-digit growth rate and the government is confident about meeting the expectations of the Planning Commission.

"With the new investments in the gas and oil sector, Gujarat now can be called the petro capital of the country. We believe that the upcoming gas projects will benefit other states, especially Maharashtra, a lot," Modi said.