Reacting strongly to Narmada Bachao Andolan’s demand for scrapping of the project and CBI inquiry, the Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Limited (SMHPCL) on Friday alleged that the Narmada Bachao Andolan has been spreading inaccurate information to mislead people, malign the project and delay it. According to information, alleging massive financial irregularities in its execution, the Narmada Bachao Andolan had demanded in Delhi on Thursday, scrapping of the controversial project in MP. They had claimed that its cost had escalated several times than the original estimate.

Gandhinagar: The Narmada canal’s movement towards Kutch has suddenly hit an environmental roadblock. Already under construction, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), which is Narmada project’s implementing agency, has now found to its utter bewilderment that it had never taken a crucial forest conservation Act clearance from the Government of India for Kutch branch canal’s 13 kilometre stretch falling outside the Wild Ass Sanctuary.

The cities of the State will be given a facelift. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has instructed to chalk out two-year action plan for developing beautiful and clean cities with ultramodern basic amenities. He also instructed to give top priority to works for purifying Maa Narmada River at Amarkantak and Pashvani River at Chitrakoot.

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat government has hired top international consultants, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to come up with a complete project report on the supply of water to the state's industry. Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said that the study has been commissioned because there is "no clarity" on the amount of water that is being given to industry from different sources, including surface, bore-well and other. Also, there is considerable ambiguity on the tariff to be charged from industry for water.

There are 12 "hot spots" in eight States where river water was found to be contaminated. In the first ever report of its kind, the Central Water Commission (CWC) monitored water quality at 371 stations in river systems across the country and identified stretches that need urgent Government action. It found that river water in these "hot-spots" was not fit for drinking purposes, irrigation, outdoor bathing and propagation of wildlife, fisheries.

State-promoted Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), which runs the hydroelectricity generation plant on the river Narmada in Gujarat, has been awarded the Fifth Enertia Award-2011 under the hydropower generation category for its contribution in the field of sustainable energy and power in India.

In 2010-11, the company generated 3,589 million units (MUs) of hydroelectricity, higher by 43.5 per cent, against 2,501 MUs in 2009-10, according to a release here on Tuesday.

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat government is seriously considering a proposal to make water meters compulsory in homes within the state's urban local bodies' limits (ULBs). A high-level document, still at the draft stage, has said, "In urban areas water for domestic purposes should be supplied through meter system." Part of the proposed Gujarat Water Policy 2011, the document says, "Water rates should be such that people may save water, try to reuse it, and prevent wastages and losses", suggesting current rates are highly uneconomical and irrational.

GANDHINAGAR: Finally, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Though most of the canal network for the Narmada project remains incomplete till today, Sachivalaya sources said things have been finally put on the fast track by allocating work orders worth Rs 4,332 crore and initiation of canal construction to get waters to the 10 lakh hectares (ha) fields out of 18 lakh ha of Narmada command area.

Bhopal : State Government has refused to give grants to Municipal Corporation to carry out the additional expenditures of Narmada Project. In such situation, Corporation is making preparations to hike water prizes in next budget. The Corporation is facing extra 28 crores electricity charges to pump Narmada water, to pay which Corporation is planning to transfer the load on the citizens. Corporation was charging 60 rupees per month for water supply before the last budget in March.

Gandhinagar: Water woes in the Petroleum Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR), an important industrial hotspot along Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, may come to an end soon.
The PCPIR, coming up over 480 sq km in the Dahej-Bharuch region, will get a two-km-long weir off the mouth of Narmada river at Bharbhut, next to the Gulf of Khambhat, for storing sweet water coming from Narmada dam.