Narendra Modi slams Centre for delaying completion of Sardar Sarovar dam

JAMNAGAR: Saying that he was ready to give credit for SardarSarovar dam project to Congress, Gujarat Chief Minister NarendraModi today demanded that Centre allow to install gates on the dam so that water could reach farmers in the parched regions of the state.

Slamming Congress-led UPA government for "playing politics" on the issue, Modi said he did not want credit over the project. He was willing to give credit to Congress leaders if they feared that Modi would benefit (politically) if the permission was granted, he said.

"Please give us water and take the credit if you want. There cannot be any politics in this. This is for Gujarat," Modi said, addressing a gathering of farmers here.

Blaming Congress for delay in gate installation, Modi said that initial estimated cost of the project was Rs 5,000 crore, but now it had escalated to Rs 50,000 crore.

Saying that the gates to be installed were as high as six-storey building, he said, "It would take two to three years to build each gate. There are 40 such gates to be built but still the Centre has done nothing on the issue."

"I have met the Prime Minister a dozen times regarding the issue, but while he kept saying it must be done, no action has been taken."

Congress-ruled Maharashtra and BJP-ruled Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh had completed their part of the work but the Centre was refusing to do the needful, he alleged.