Kutch, Nov. 29, 2018: The diverting of water from the Indira Sagar Dam to the Sardar Sarovar Dam to facilitate tourism in the area, following the construction of the Statue of Unity, has aggravated the problems of farmers in Kutch.
Reportedly, the area around the Statue of Unity has been designated as a boating arena and the administration is diverting water from Sagar Dam to maintain a minimum level of water for the boats to ply on.
Coupled with this, the Gujarat govt is also seeking to build a water aerodrome — for amphibious watercrafts and sea–planes to land on, thereby increasing the water requirement at the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
Farmers in Kutch have to bear the brunt of this induced shortage of water. The agitated farmers’ union has said that if the government does not take necessary steps soon, there would be state-wide protests.
This shortage of water has reportedly led to huge protests across cities in the region. Aaj Tak reported that people in Bhuj, Abdasa, Nakhatrana, Lakhpat and Kandla have marched in protests holding aloft banners of ‘Narmada Lao, Kutch Bachao’ and bandhs have also been organised in the region.
(newscentral24x7)