Centre sanctions Rs 730 cr for Narmada project
Gandhinagar, Aug 29 : The Centre has sanctioned Rs 730 crore for the Gujarat's Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the Narmada river for the current year and also committed soft loan of Rs 1,500 crore for the state's other irrigation projects, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Wednesday.
Patel told reporters here that the money was sanctioned since the Narmada project is considered one of India's 99 major irrigational projects. "We have set a target of completing the Narmada project by December 2019."
Projected as Gujarat's lifeline, it aims to meet the water needs of a major portion of the state.
The canal network of the incomplete project, whose command area covers 17 districts, is spread over 27,000 square km. It will cost an estimated Rs 13,000 crore.
Patel said that the low-interest loan of around Rs 1,500 crore for irrigation projects in Gujarat will be repaid by the state in 15 years, with instalments starting after a three-year grace period.
Patel said that water level in the Sardar Sarovar reservoir had incresed to 120.93 metres due to substantial rains in Madhya Pradesh and it is expected to go up to 121 metres. "Due to closing of dam sluice gates, further water storage will be possible for use in irrigation," he said.
He said the stored water was adequate to meet the drinking water needs of the state though release of water for irrigation needed to be restricted.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
