Railways to supply water by tankers to Gujarat, Rajasthan

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD, MAY 6. The Indian Railways will start supply of water through the railway tankers to the drought-hit areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan from May 10, the Minister of State for Railways, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, said here today.

Talking to mediapersons here after a visit to the drought-hit Sabarkantha district in north Gujarat today, Mr. Laxman said while 16 million litres of water would be supplied to the affected areas in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat per day and 9.3 million litres per day to Rajasthan, including 5.2 million litres to the areas covered by the metre gauge section of the railways and 4.1 million litres per day on broad gauge.

In Gujarat, he said, 14 rakes including seven each of oil tank wagons and box wagons would be made available on the broad gauge to supply 10 million litres of water per day while on the metre gauge six million litres would be supplied through three oil tank rakes and two open wagon rakes per day. On the broad gauge, water would be filled in at the Steel Authority of India siding at Khodiyar station on the outskirts of Ahmedabad to be taken up to Hapa at a corner of Jamnagar district while on the metre gauge the supplies would be made from Upleta in Rajkot district and Rajula in Amreli district to Junagadh.

Mr. Laxman said there would be no disruption in the regular passenger and goods traffic due to the running of the special water and fodder trains. Stating that already 94 rakes of fodder had been supplied to the affected areas in Gujarat, Mr. Laxman said free transportation facilities would also be given to the recognised non-government organisations for the supply of fodder to the drought-hit areas. He claimed that the railways had worked out perfect co-ordination with the State Government for the transportation of water through the road tankers to the interior villages from the railway tankers.

Denying the allegation that the Central assistance with funds to the State Government to meet the serious drought situation was inadequate, Mr. Laxman, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, claimed that the Centre had already provided about Rs. 700 crores to the State under various heads including the Centrally-sponsored rural development programmes to meet the situation. It was against Rs. 722 crores demanded by the State which showed that the Centre was providing all the necessary assistance to the State.

He ridiculed the joint statement from Calcutta by the four former Prime Ministers, expressing apprehensions about ``bloody revolution'' due to the ``increasing disparity between the rich and poor,'' Mr. Laxman said the process of reforms which these leaders were criticising now were actually started by Mr. V. P. Singh when he was the Finance Minister while Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda did nothing to stop the process. It was shocking that within six months of the National Democratic Alliance being voted to power by the people of the country, the four were talking of ``bloody revolution,'' he said.

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Section  : Regional
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