Amid tribal protest, Narmada river link project scrapped

Ahmedabad: The Centre has decided not to give a go-ahead to the Par-Tapi-Narmada river link project, following strong protests against it by tribals, Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil said on Tuesday.

However, the opposition Congress in Gujarat dubbed the decision, which comes ahead of the state Assembly polls due in December this year, as a "lollipop" for tribals, and said the protest will continue until the government issues a white paper on scrapping of the project.

Tribals from south Gujarat districts have been protesting against the project ever since Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed in her Union Budget speech last month that the Draft Project Report (DPR) of this and four other river link projects have been finalised.

A massive rally led by Congress MLA Anant Patel and Shiv Sena functionary Abhinav Delkar was held in Valsad district last month. Thereafter, tribals organised more rallies, and a few days back they also gathered in the state capital Gandhinagar to protest against the project.

They have demanded scrapping of the project, saying it will adversely affect them by displacing them from their ancestral land.

On the status of the projects, Sitharaman had in her budget speech on February 1, 2022 said the DPRs of the five river link projects have been finalised and a consensus among beneficiary states is awaited. The Centre will provide support only after a consensus is made among the states associated with the projects, she had said.

Talking to reporters, Paatil said he along with Gujarat ministers from tribal community, as well as MLAs and MPs from the state met Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on Monday, and appealed to them not to go ahead with the project.

"They have assured us that until Maharashtra and Gujarat -- the two states involved in the project -- give their written consent for the project, it cannot be given a go-ahead," the BJP leader said.

"The opposition parties tried to instigate tribals for their own benefit. They blamed it on the BJP while forgetting that the (Par-Tapi-Narmada river link) project was launched when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister," he further said. Paatil said the Gujarat government in its recent state budget had not shown any willingness for the project.

Due to this, the project cannot move ahead, the central ministers were of the view during the meeting on Monday, he said. "The BJP will never do anything that will lead to tribals losing their land and affect their interest," Paatil said.

Gujarat Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel said the BJP is committed to ensure no tribal is displaced. "If the project results in displacement of tribals, then the BJP will not agree to it. Therefore, it is scrapped," he told reporters.

"The Congress and other organisations created an atmosphere of fear among tribals by talking about their displacement...we all know that no central project will succeed until the state agrees to it," he said.

Therefore, the Centre has made it clear that it will support Gujarat over its decisions taken in the interest of the tribal community. "The Centre has said that the project, which was proposed in the Union Budget, is postponed," Patel said.

However, Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Sukhram Rathwa claimed the BJP has taken the decision in view of the state elections due in December this year and out of its own interest rather than that of the tribal communities, and demanded a whitepaper on the issue.

"It is no more than a lollipop. We will continue to protest against the project until the government comes out with a white paper. The claims (about scrapping of the project) are meant to mislead the tribals and take political mileage ahead of the election," the Congress leader said.

As per the Centre's India Water Resources Information System portal, the river link project proposes to transfer water from surplus regions of the Western Ghats to the water deficit regions of Saurashtra and Kutch. It involves seven reservoirs proposed in north Maharashtra and south Gujarat.

Apart from seven dams, the project envisages three diversion weirs, two tunnels, a 395 km long canal, six power houses and a number of cross-drainage works.

Besides providing irrigation benefits, the project will also generate hydro-power. The reservoirs will also provide relief from floods to people residing in downstream areas.