Both regions face water scarcity and it is says that there are no ways to mitigate this problem
Saurashtra and Kutch regions are disappointed with the state budget as there are no projects that boost development in these regions. Both regions face water scarcity and it is said that there are no ways to mitigate this problem.
Talking to DNA, Shivlal Barasiya, President, Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said that apart from six-laning the Ahmedabad-Rajkot Highway, no other provision looks at developing the region. "We have been hearing about the Kalpasar Project for over two decades now. However, no work has been initiated yet and the government is allocating funds for the the project every year; the situation though remains the same," said Barasiaya.
Kalpasar, a dam between south Gujarat and Saurashtra, will create a large fresh water reservoir using water from the major rivers of Gujarat.
He complained that there are many private industrial clusters in Saurashtra, which do not have basic facilities like roads, sewage and other infrastructure. "Even if businessmen want electricity connection, they have to pay for last mile connectivity. There are no efforts on the part of the government to improve infrastructure in these estates. Business here can get a tremendous boost if done," he said.
Barasiya also objected to the delay in environmental clearance and other regulations, which is a big bottleneck in commissioning the projects.
Similarly, industry representatives in Kutch say that, even though the industries in the region are facing unprecedented water crisis, there are no plans to resolve this. The government has announced the supply of one million acre feet of water. However, the allocation is meager compared to the requirement. "The government has earmarked Rs 15 crore for the Rs 10,000-crore project. At this rate, it would require 100 years to be completed. This is only for agriculture," said Nimish Phadke, managing director of Federation of Kutch Industries Association (FOKIA).
He warned that if enough water is not provided to the industries, there would be a large number of job losses and companies will go bankrupt.
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 "Water scarcity")
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