Cong wants white paper with govt declaration that it won't execute Par-Tapi-Narmada linking project

Valsad, Aug 14 (PTI) Opposition Congress in Gujarat on Thursday accused the ruling BJP of misguiding the tribal population over the the Par-Tapi-Narmada river linking project, and urged the Centre to bring out with a 'white paper' with a declaration that it would never be implemented.

It said nearly 50,000 tribal families will be displaced if the project is brought to reality.

The demand and allegations came a day after the state government said it deferred the implementation of the Par-Tapi-Narmada river linking project in 2022, and that there has been no change in its stand since then.

The government's clarification came in the wake of tribal leader and Congress MLA Anant Patel threatening to launch a fresh agitation, claiming that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared by the Union government which indicated that the project was under fresh consideration.

However, the Congress on Thursday organised a mega-gathering of tribals at Dharampur in Valsad district to protest against the project and seek further clarification from the government.

Although Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had in 2022 announced that the project has been shelved, a fresh controversy erupted after a reply by the Centre in the Rajya Sabha mentioned that a DPR has been prepared in 2017.

Talking to reporters after the rally, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said the BJP governments in Gujarat and at the Centre were trying to snatch tribal people's land, water and forests by misguiding them.

If this project is implemented, thousands of tribal people will be displaced in Gujarat as their villages will be submerged after the construction of dams, he said.

Citing the reply given by the Jalshakti ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Chavda claimed the statements made by Gujarat BJP leaders and ministers were misleading and contradictory to what the Centre had admitted in Parliament.

"While the state government had said (in 2022) that the project has been scrapped, the ministry had admitted in the Rajya Sabha that a DPR has been prepared. The written reply further said the project has been removed from the priority list, but it has not been cancelled," he said.

According to him, the Congress is with tribals on this issue and will not allow the government to implement this project.

The rally was organised by tribal leader and Congress MLA Anant Patel, who demanded a white paper from the Centre declaring that this project has been scrapped permanently and will never be implemented.

"The state government had on Wednesday made a statement that the project has been scrapped. But in the written reply, the Centre had clearly stated that it is not a priority at present. So what if they give priority in future?" he said.

"We want the Centre to issue a white paper on this and declare in Parliament that they will never implement this project. If implemented, nearly 50,000 tribal families of Valsad, Dang and Tapi will be displaced due to construction of dams on rivers," Patel told reporters.

Following protests by tribals fearing displacement, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had in May 2022 announced that the project had been scrapped. PTI PJT PD NP