BJP,Cong spar over Modi’s letter to PM

“The issue of commissioning of gates over the Narmada dam was with the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) and the matter was stuck up on the issue of rehabilitation of displaced people,which was to be decided by the state government. But Modi used to curse the Prime Minister to gain political mileage,” he said.

The Kapadvanj MLA said that the Chief Minister deliberately skipped acknowledging the fact that in 2006 he had given the nod to raise the dam’s height to 121.96 meter.

“Even recently,when the NCA sanctioned the permission of installing gates over Narmada Dam,Modi did not utter a single word of acknowledgement,” he added.

“Modi has himself admitted in the letter that only 7.19 lakh hectares of command area,out of the total 18.42 lakh hectares of Sardar Sarovar Project,has been developed and only possibilities of irrigation have been created and not the actual irrigation facilities,” he added. He said the state government gave “hollow promises”. “Modi had declared that the entire command area would be completed by December 2012,though it has not yet been completed,” he said.

Referring to the assistance sought by the state government for the project,Vaghela asked,“How did Modi plan the state’s finances for 12 years that there are no funds even for the lifeline of the state? If Gujarat is No 1 developed state,as claimed by the Chief Minister,why the state government is begging for funds from the Central government?”

Citing Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports highlighting misappropriation of the central assistance granted by the Centre,he said,“The Union government provides central assistance in the form of AIBP (Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme) for construction of the canal systems in different states… And Gujarat has been given no less than Rs 3,000 crore in the last six years for the Sardar Sarovar project,” he said.