Narmada canals with cumulative length of more than 5,900 km yet to be built: Gujarat CM

Gandhinagar: Canals with a cumulative length of more than 5,900 km are yet to be constructed as part of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada project, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel told the state assembly on Friday.

Patel, who holds the Narmada portfolio, was replying to a written query by Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Amit Chavda about the status of the Narmada project during the Question Hour of the Budget session.

The chief minister, in his written reply, said canals with a cumulative length of 5,921.24 km are yet to be constructed.

He said the 458.32 km-long main canal has already been completed.

The other components completed so far include the Garudeshwar weir, a high-level bridge at Gora village near the dam, pumping stations and small hydropower plants on branch canals and a solar power plant on the Vadodara branch canal, Patel said.

He further stated that 46.13 km of branch canals, 159.70 km of distributaries, 1,052.26 km of minor canals and 4,663.14 km of sub-minor canals are yet to be constructed as of January 2025.

The chief minister informed the House that the pending works of minor canals would be completed at the earliest, subject to land acquisition and permissions from various departments since they pass under utilities such as oil pipelines and power lines.

He said that since sub-minor canals are constructed in partnership with farmers, pending works will be taken up in phases after getting permission from cultivators of the command area.