PM to inaugurate projects worth Rs 3,054 crore in tribal districts

Giving details of the project, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in an official release stated, “It was a challenging task to complete the Astol project in Kaprada and Dharampur talukas of Valsad district, but I am glad our engineers overcame all the hurdles. It’s a technological marvel from the engineering perspective as well. Through this project, we have ensured the availability of water in these hilly areas by taking water to the height of about 200-storey building (1,875 ft).”

The project is significant for the region after the Gujarat government was forced to cancel the Narmada-Par-Tapi link project after opposition from tribals in South Gujarat.

In 2018, the state government initiated the Astol project at the cost of Rs 586.16 crore with an aim to ensure potable water supply to the people living in these hilly areas. Under this project, water from Madhuban Dam (water holding gross capacity 567 million cubic metres) will be pumped through pumping stations using lift technique to reach people’s homes.

This will be the first time that the Madhuban Dam’s water will be used for drinking purposes as earlier it has been only used for irrigation purposes. A total of 28 pumping stations with a capacity of 8-Megawatt Volt Ampere (MVA) have been set up that will help supply about 75 million litres of drinking water daily.

To store water in these areas, six high tanks (capacity of 4.7 million litres), 28 underground tanks (capacity of 7.7 crore litres) and 1,202 tanks (capacity of 44 million litres) at the ground level in villages and habitations have been constructed.

PM Modi will also announce completion of seven projects, lay foundation stone for 12 projects and bhoomi pujan for 14 projects, totalling to Rs 3,054 crore.

These events have been lined up for his visit to Khudvel village where he will participate in “Gujarat Gaurav Abhiyan”. These projects are in Valsad, Navsari and Surat districts.

The Indian Express has already reported that PM Modi will also inaugurate a hospital at Navsari and headquarters of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) at Ahmedabad on June 10.