Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday directed officers of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to ensure better coordination between them on a project for revival of the mythical Saraswati river. He directed officials of the Haryana Saraswati Development Board and irrigation department to complete the technical drawing of the project by March 31, 2021, a Haryana government statement said.
In the first phase of the project, two dams will be built in areas of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Shekhawat told reporters after a meeting with officers of the two states here.
Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria will coordinate with officers of both the states on the assistance received from the central government for the Saraswati River Rejuvenation and Heritage Development Project, he said.
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The Haryana government started the project to revive this ancient heritage, and evidence regarding flow of the Saraswati river and other aspects related to it have been collected by ISRO and through various geographical researches, Mr. Shekhawat said.
He said that work is being done to ensure that the water of this river flows till a stretch of 200 kilometres in Haryana.
This project can play a pivotal role in water conservation, irrigation, drinking water as well as tourism, the Union minister said.
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Earlier, Devender Singh, additional chief secretary, Haryana irrigation and water resources department, informed that 20 cusecs of water will be provided for this river from Himachal Pradesh and a project is being formulated on 400 acres of land in Kathgarh for water storage.
Mr. Shekhawat also visited Ambala in the evening, where unveiled the statue of Prithviraj Chauhan.