Construction of controversial Narmada dam complete
Afp, New Delhi
India Sunday completed the construction of a controversial dam almost two decades after the project was launched, despite protests from environmentalists who said hundreds of thousands of people would be displaced, a report said.The Sardar Sarovar dam -- across the Narmada river in India's western state of Gujarat -- is expected to irrigate 200,000 hectares of barren land and produce nearly 1,500 megawatts of electricity every day from January. "India has taken a leap ahead," Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi told a gathering to mark the completion of the project, the Press Trust of India reported. Authorities say the dam will also provide drinking water to millions of people in Gujarat and the neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, besides helping in flood control. Construction of the 1,250-metre-long and 122 metre-high dam began in 1987, but it soon became embroiled in an environmental campaign.
|
photo: AFP Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader, Medha Patkar (C), along with members and activists, shouts anti-government slogans as they block the entrance to the Indian Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry office in New Delhi, on Tuesday protesting the Sardar Sarovar Dam. PHOTO: AFP |
