Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Sunday could be his most memorable one. He will formally dedicate the Narmada Dam project to the nation, ending a wait that has lasted more than five decades.
After paying a visit to his mother early on Sunday, the PM will head out to the site of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam in Narmada district of Gujarat. He will perform a brief puja at the dam site and then open the 30 gates installed on it. The gates were closed on the directions of the Narmada Control Authority on June 17 this year.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said there could not have been a better gift for PM Modi on his birthday, which also falls on September 17.
A sum of 47,000 crores has so far been spent on the multi-purpose dam project that was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961. The height of the dam on completion stands at 138.68 metres, including the 10 metre high doors that have been placed on top of the dam.
The dam, once functional, would irrigate 18 lakh hectares of land in Gujarat and 2.5 lakh hectares in Rajasthan. Around 10 lakh farmers are likely to benefit from it. The hydro power generated from the dam would provide electricity to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The chief ministers of the three states that would reap the benefits of the dam - Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia - will attend the event.
The Gujarat CM said that after the inauguration, the Prime Minister would attend a couple of rallies and public meetings.
Over 1 lakh people are expected to turn up for a huge rally in Dabhoi in Vadodara. In the second half of the day, Modi will head to Saurashtra's Amreli district, where a slew of public functions have been organised.
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