Over 10,000 km of Narmada canals yet to be built: Gujarat govt

Canals with a cumulative length of 10,795.81 kms are yet to be constructed as part of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project, the Gujarat government admitted in the Legislative Assembly on Friday.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who handles the Narmada portfolio, gave this information while replying to a set of written queries raised by Congress MLAs on the status of the canal network of the project during the Question Hour of the ongoing Budget session here.

In his written reply, Patel said that out of the total approved length of around 71,200 kms, canals with a cumulative length of 10,795.81 kms were yet to be built.

While the main canal of 458-km legth was already completed, 110.98 kms of branch canals, 209.82 kms of distributaries, 1,691.44 kms of minor canals and 8,783.57 kms of sub-minor canals were yet to be built across the state, Patel said in his reply.

When the Congress legislators questioned him about the delay in the project, Patel told the House that the canals would be completed at the earliest, subject to granting of permissions by various departments, as they passed through forests, sanctuaries and private lands.