A senior official of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) today said the main canal work from Narmada to Saurashtra had been completed, while the branch canal work, which was underway, was likely to be completed by 2016.
Nearly 85 per cent of the branch canal work was complete and rest would be over by 2016, an official statement said, quoting SSNNL director P M Patel.
"As many as 67 developmental works worth Rs 2,468 crore are in progress in Saurashtra region," the release said.
The release further claimed that because of the Narmada project, power shortage problem had been solved. 2,968 crore units of electricity had been generated so far, worth Rs 11,944 crore, with the installation of giant hydro-electricity machines in a deep tunnel alongside the Narmada dam.
"Around 104 km long canal from Karan Nagar in Mehsana district in south Gujarat to Dholi Dhaja dam in Saurashtra ... covers around seven districts of Saurashtra and provides drinking water to 240 lakh people of the region," the release said, quoting U C Jain, chief engineer (electrical-mechanical) of SSNNL.
