Sardar Sarovar is India's largest and the world's second largest concrete dam after Grand Coulee in the US
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Sardar Sarovar dam to the nation on Sunday, and said that when even the World Bank refused funds for the project, temples in Gujarat donated money.
The PM also attacked a "list of people" who tried to stall the dam, and vowed to continue with his approach of balanced development by taking care of India's western region that needs water, and the eastern parts that require electricity and gas.
Sardar Sarovar is India's largest and the world's second largest concrete dam after Grand Coulee in the US. It is the centrepiece of the Narmada Valley development project that is also expected to provide water to Rajasthan and energy to Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The PM called the dam on the Narmada river an engineering miracle, whose inauguration coincided with his 67th birthday.
"The project faced many hurdles, but India overcame them with her blood and sweat. There was a massive misinformation campaign, I have kacha chittha of everyone, but I won't politicise the matter... we were determined that the project will continue," Modi said while addressing about 1.5 lakh people at a rally at Dabhoi in Gujarat's Vadodara district. He inaugurated the dam that is located at Kevadia in the state's Narmada district.
The World Bank had refused funding over environmental concerns, the PM said.
But it was later compelled to give the Green Award to Gujarat for its environment-friendly rehabilitation work in earthquake-affected Kutch, he added.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani termed the dam "Gujarat's lifeline". Its foundation was laid by India's first Prime Minister Jawharlal Nehru in 1961. The construction was suspended in 1996 following a stay by the Supreme Court that allowed work to resume four years later, but with conditions.
Modi said that he has ensured balanced development in India since he took over as PM in 2014. "As India's western region needs water, the eastern parts require electricity and gas. We wish to make both arms of our Mother India stronger into the direction of making our nation stronger."
He also remembered Sardar Patel and Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, and said that if both leaders had lived a few years more, India would have been flourishing with vegetation and wealth many years back.
"This dam, which took 56 years to complete, would have been completed in the 60s or 70s. During his short term as minister at the Center, Dr Ambedkar envisioned many water-related projects. Today our country faces floods and droughts, but this could have been history, if both these visionary leaders had served the nation for a few more years."
"I never celebrate my birthday but as this auspicious occasion coincided with my birthday, I feel that I am lucky that I could dedicate this dam to the nation today."
The PM also visited the site of the under-construction statue, the world's tallest, of Sardar Patel at Sadhu Bet near the dam site. Later in the afternoon, he visited Amreli district of Gujarat and dedicated to people a dairy science collage, a honey plant and an agricultural produce market committee.
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 "Sardar Sarovar dam")
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