Narendra Modi in Gujarat: The project that will provide tap water to 4.5 lakh tribals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated a group water supply scheme that will supply potable water to 174 villages in Valsad district of Gujarat.

The visit to his home state is being seen as the BJP’s attempt to reach out to tribal voters in the region, who have been unhappy about the Par Tapi Narmada (PTN) project. Congress MLA Anant Patel had led protests against the now-scrapped project. Tribal communities had feared that the river-linking project would displace thousands of them. The protests were believed to have influenced the BJP to scrap the project.

What is the group water supply project?

According to Hindustan Times, nearly 4.5 lakh tribal people from 174 villages and 1,028 hamlets in Dharampur and Kaprada taluka of Valsad district in Gujarat will get tap water facility with Astol Group Water Supply scheme. PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2018 with an aim to supply potable tap water to homes in remote tribal villages under the Nal se Jal mission.

Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi dedicated Astol regional water supply scheme worth ₹586 crores for beneficiaries of 174 villages from Valsad district. #GujaratGauravAbhiyan@CMOGuj @Rushikeshmla @jitubhaiMLA @InfoGujarat pic.twitter.com/q4ANAo3q6z

— Water Supply Department, Govt. of Gujarat (@WSDGujarat) June 10, 2022

According to The Indian Express, over 95 per cent work of this scheme is complete. The main pipeline network is 74.77-kilometre long, and has been laid in hilly terrain.

It said that 28 pumping stations ranging from 15 horsepower to 300 horsepower have been installed for water transmission. The water for the project will be sourced from Madhuban dam in Dadra and Nagar Haveli union territory.

The pumping stations, with a capacity of 8-megawatt volt ampere (MVA), have been set up to aid the supply of around 75 million litres of drinking water daily to 4.5 lakh people.

An attempt to win back tribals

In February-March this year, tribals organised massive protests against the PTN project with strong support from the Congress.

On Friday, PM Modi will also address Samrasta Sammelan at Khudvel village, where he is expected to address tribals from Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Valsad, and Dang, the region that saw the protests.

The Par Tapi Narmada river link project would have led to these tribals getting displaced.

According to a report by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), about 6,065 hectares of land would have been submerged due to the proposed reservoirs. A total of 61 villages and over 2500 families would have been affected.

As per The Indian Express, the project was meant to divert excess water from the three rivers, which flows into the sea in the monsoon, to Saurashtra and Kutch for irrigation.

Vansda MLA Anant Patel started a movement in February by holding group meetings and 11 massive rallies to protest against the project.

The protests and its impact led the BJP to first put the project on hold in March and then scrap it later. The tribals, however, have demanded a white paper instead of the verbal announcement.

A total of 11 Assembly seats in South Gujarat are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), out of which seven are with BJP and four with the Congress. After the protests against the PTN project, tribal leaders informed state BJP president CR Paatil that angry voters are moving away from the BJP.

On 28 March, Chief minister Bhupendra Patel and Paatil held a meeting at Gandhinagar with the tribal leaders, announcing the state would not give consent to the project.

On 22 May, CM Patel and Paatil announced the project had been scrapped. With inputs from agencies

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