People of Gujarat have been fooled in the name of Kalpsar project for the last 19 years: Congress

GANDHINAGAR: Opposition Congress today alleged that the Gujarat government has "fooled" the people of state in the name of the Kalpsar project for the last 19 years.

Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil alleged in the Assembly that, "For the past 19 years, the BJP government has been fooling people in the name of the Kalpsar project. Every year, crores of rupees have been wasted just to make feasibility reports."

He was speaking when the Gujarat government sought approval of the House for budgetary allocations for Narmada development, as well as irrigation and water resources department.

The Kalpsar project has been hailed as a very ambitious project of the state government where a large dam would be built in the sea near the Gulf of Cambay (Khambhat) to tap river water.

Recently, the Gujarat government had also announced plans to build a world class port at Dholera, which according to Gohil, is impossible if the Kalpsar project comes up.

"If you look the map of the Kalpsar project, the Dholera port's shore will be submerged if Kalpsar is built in the sea. Thus, if Kalpsar comes up, you can't build Dholera port and if you decide to build the port, then you have to forget about Kalpsar. In reality, the government failed to build either of these for 19 years and simply fooled people," Gohil alleged.

Further, Gohil, who is a Congress MLA from Abdasa ( Kutch), lambasted the state government on the issue of the Narmada canal network.

"Amidst delayed monsoons, several parts of Kutch, Saurashtra and North Gujarat face an acute water shortage. If the government would have completed canal related work in time, people would have been spared from hardship," Gohil said.