Gujarat Halts Water Project, Extends Farm Power

The Gujarat government has reaffirmed that the Par-Tapi-Narmada Link Project will remain suspended, as per a decision made three years ago.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, State Government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel explained that the project, initially proposed in 1980, was revived in 2011 during the tenure of then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared by the relevant Central ministry and finalised in 2017.

“In 2022, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister CR Patil jointly announced the suspension of the project. Since then, no further action has been taken by either the state or the Centre,” Patel said.

Responding to queries raised in the Rajya Sabha on February 10 and July 27, he clarified that references to the DPR in those discussions pertained solely to the 2017 version, with no revised report prepared since. He also noted that DPRs are submitted only to the concerned ministry, not tabled in Parliament or state assemblies. On August 10, Patil again publicly confirmed that the project would not move forward.

Patel stressed that the Cabinet’s decision to halt the project remains unchanged and urged political opponents not to mislead tribal communities or use the issue for political gain. He reiterated the state’s commitment to the development and welfare of its tribal population.

Farm Power Supply in Mehsana Extended from August 14

In a separate decision, the Cabinet approved an increase in daily agricultural power supply in Mehsana district from 8 to 10 hours, starting August 14. The move will benefit approximately 43,000 farming connections.

Patel said this follows a similar decision in Saurashtra, where the extension took effect on August 9. There, daily agricultural power consumption rose from 4.4 crore units to 5.2 crore units, serving nearly 12 lakh agricultural connections.

Providing an update on Kharif sowing, Patel reported that crops have been planted on 74.85 lakh hectares; 87.48% of Gujarat’s normal cultivation area of 85.57 lakh hectares.

The crop-wise sowing data includes 26.94 lakh hectares of oilseeds, 20.54 lakh hectares of groundnut, 20.58 lakh hectares of cotton, 12.88 lakh hectares of cereals, 8.44 lakh hectares of paddy, 2.72 lakh hectares of maize, 3.48 lakh hectares of pulses and 8.02 lakh hectares of fodder crops.

Patel described the overall sowing progress this season as excellent across the state.