Raipur: Amidst the ongoing anti-Maoist campaign in interiors of Bastar, the southernmost division of Chhattisgarh, the state government has proposed for two major projects aimed at boosting the long stalled economic progress in state’s insurgency-hit division.
Recently Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai during his visit to the national capital met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and presented a detailed framework of both the ‘Bodhghat Dam’ multipurpose project and ‘Mahanadi and Indravati rivers interlinking’ project.
Once accorded nod, the projects will be completed with an estimated cost of Rs 49000 crore with Bodhghat Dam multipurpose project costing around Rs 29000 crore. The proposed projects will boost irrigation facilities, paving way for economic progress of the region along creating employment opportunities for the locals.
“To alleviate the persisting issue of lack of irrigation resources and promote an all-round development, the Chhattisgarh government is working on the multipurpose Bodhghat dam project and the interlinking of Indravati & Mahanadi rivers. The project has been lying pending for decades. Besides the extensive economic growth, the two projects will create considerable scope of employment and livelihood in Bastar region”, the CM said.
“The rolling out of both projects will be significant towards ensuring faster growth of Bastar making the region self-reliant”, he added.
Bodhghat Dam multipurpose project
Proposed on Indravati river which covers a significant distance in the state, the multipurpose Bodhghat Dam project will come up near Barsoor of Geedam in Dantewada district.
The project is expected to benefit around 250 villages, strengthening the ongoing efforts of the government to carry out development work in Bastar on a war footing.
Other than increasing the irrigation resources in the region, the project is also expected to produce 125 MW of electricity. The project is also likely to boost fish production along creating other employment opportunities and ensuring availability of drinking water in the region.
The Indravati-Mahanadi interlinking project on the other side will provide irrigation facilities to more than 3, 00,000 hectares of land, a significant part of which is in Kanker district of north Bastar.
Both the projects are considered crucial for the holistic development of the Bastar region and were lying pending since long due to Maoist’s presence and their opposition of development works in the region.
Intensified campaign against red terror
It is noteworthy that the state government in close coordination with the Union has amped up anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, a region infested by Maoist insurgency since decades.
In persistent operations carried out by security personnel in dense forested zones of Bastar lately, the proscribed terror outfit has suffered major losses which includes neutralisation of many of its high ranking leaders.
Significantly, the campaign against Maoists have picked up pace after the Union government come with a deadline of March 2026 to wipe out the red terror menace from the country including Bastar which accounts for around two third of Maoist related incidents.
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