The storm over the Par Tapi Narmada River-Link Project has reignited across South Gujarat’s tribal belt, triggering widespread unrest and fuelling a renewed political clash between the BJP and the Congress. In response, the Par Tapi Narmada Link Project Hatao Sangharsh Samithi has announced a protest rally and public meeting in Valsad on August 14, with similar mobilisations set to follow in Tapi and Dangs districts.
Congress MLA Anant Patel told a national newspaper that a significant gathering of tribals from various districts and talukas was expected to assemble at Dharampur town in Valsad on the announced date.
He said the event would be non-political. Its purpose was to address the tribal community and submit a memorandum to the Mamlatdar. Patel added that similar rallies and public meetings would be held in Tapi and Dangs districts. These would focus on informing tribals about the impact of the river-linking project. He demanded that Union Minister CR Paatil release a white paper in Parliament if the project had truly been dropped.
According to reports, through a video clip on social media, Patel also challenged the ruling party to give a written assurance stating that the project had been scrapped.
He believed this was a necessary step if they genuinely wanted to regain the confidence of the tribals.
The controversy deepened following Gujarat BJP president and Union Minister CR Paatil’s remarks at a public event in Navsari.
He declared that the Par Tapi Narmada River-Link project had been postponed. He lashed out at the Congress, accusing its leaders of lacking real issues and choosing instead to mislead innocent tribal people. Paatil assured the tribal communities that the government would never implement a project that went against their interests, claiming that such was the clear instruction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Valsad BJP MP Dhaval Patel also weighed in at a press conference, asserting that the Par Tapi Narmada river-linking project would not be implemented in South Gujarat. He reportedly said he was giving this assurance not merely as a Member of Parliament, but as a son of a tribal. He claimed Congress leaders were deliberately misleading the tribal communities for political mileage.
As the national daily’s report highlights, the issue had earlier been raised on July 29, when Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, Dr Tushar Chaudhary, wrote to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel requesting a formal clarification on the project’s current status. In his letter, he recalled the large-scale protests in 2022 among tribals in Valsad, Tapi, and Dangs, which had prompted the state government to promise that the Central government’s project would not proceed.
He reminded the Chief Minister that the state’s consent was necessary for the project to move forward and that the government had then assured it would withhold such consent. He added that the tribal population of South Gujarat remained anxious and demanded that the Chief Minister break his silence and issue a public clarification.
In response, CR Paatil dismissed Chaudhary’s concerns, pointing out that the Congress leader had served as a Minister of State in the Central government and ought to be aware that no such Detailed Project Report had ever been presented in Parliament.
The news report added that the issue resurfaced recently in the Rajya Sabha. Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, stated that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Par Tapi Narmada project had been completed. He said the Central Government had created a National Perspective Plan (NPP) under its Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) programme. The plan aims to transfer water from surplus regions to areas facing shortages. He added that the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) had been assigned the responsibility of implementing these ILR projects under the NPP.
The Minister informed that a total of 30 ILR projects had been identified — 14 forming the Himalayan Component and 16 making up the Peninsular Component.
The report added that by July this year, pre-feasibility Reports were ready for all 30 projects. Feasibility reports for 26, and detailed project reports for 11 were completed as well.
But, only the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) reportedly reached the implementation stage.
The news report highlighted that for all remaining projects, including Par Tapi Narmada, further steps like budgeting, fund allocation, and expenditure would be taken up only after the projects moved into the implementation phase.
The Par Tapi Narmada project dates back to 1980. It was idea of the then Union Ministry of Irrigation and the Central Water Commission. The project was part of the National Perspective Plan.
The project aims to divert surplus water from the Western Ghats to the drought-prone regions of Saurashtra and Kutch. It proposes to link three rivers. The Par originates in Maharashtra’s Nashik district and flows through Valsad. The Tapi begins in Saputara and passes through Maharashtra and Gujarat’s Surat district. The Narmada starts in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Maharashtra, Bharuch, and Narmada districts in Gujarat.
The ambitious project involves the construction of seven dams — Jheri (in Nashik), Mohankavchali, Paikhed, Chasmandva, Chikkar, Dabdar, and Kelwan (the latter six located in South Gujarat’s Valsad and Dang districts). It also includes three diversion weirs located at Paikhed, Chasmandva, and Chikkar, as well as two tunnels measuring 5.0 kilometres and 0.5 kilometres. A 395-kilometre-long canal has also been proposed, with 205 kilometres falling under the Par-Tapi stretch (including feeder canals), and 190 kilometres under the Tapi-Narmada section. Additionally, six powerhouses are part of the plan.
For now, the project remains suspended in ambiguity.
Protesters are rallying, political barbs are being exchanged, and official declarations are in conflict — but among the tribal communities of Valsad, Tapi, and Dangs, one question echoes persistently: has the project been permanently buried, or is this merely a calculated political pause?
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