Mumbai, Aug 10 : In the run-up to the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, the MahaYuti government's ambitious Nar-Par-Girja river linking project has received an in-principle approval from Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan on Saturday.

The Governor's Principal Secretary Pravin Darade, in a letter, addressed to the State Water Resources Department Additional Chief Secretary Deepak Kapoor on Friday conveyed the Governor's approval for the project.

"After Wainganga-Nalganga, now the Rs 7,015 crore Nar-Par-Girna river linking project has also been approved by Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan, I am very grateful to him. Through this scheme, 10.64 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water is proposed from the western channel Nar-Par-Girna river basin, and it will benefit 49,516 hectares in Nashik and Jalgaon districts. This project, worth Rs 7,015 crore, will be a boon for Nashik and Jalgaon districts. This will be another historic step in terms of water prosperity of the state," said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a post on social media platform X.

The project envisages construction of nine new dams, and a total of 305 metres of water will be pumped and brought to Chankapur Dam in Tapi basin.

The scheme was approved by the state-level technical advisory committee (SLTAC) on March 15, 2023.

In 2016, when Devendra Fadnavis was the Chief Minister, this scheme was approved as Upsa Sanchan Scheme at the government's expense.

The State Water Resources Department sources said that the Nar-Par-Girna Valley link project is an intra-state link proposal to divert the surplus waters from 20 small proposed dams of west-flowing rivers such as the Ambika, Auranga, and Nar-Par basins to the east side - Girna river of Tapi basin ' to utilise in the proposed command areas identified in Nashik, Jalgaon and Aurangabad areas of Girna sub-basin.

The proposal would irrigate 53,626 hectares in Nashik, 38,304 hectares in Jalgaon, and 3,830 hectares in Aurangabad areas of Girna sub-basin.

Earlier, Fadnavis said that the Governor, on July 10, had approved the Rs 87,342 crore Wainganga-Nalganga river linking project.

Due to this scheme, Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, 6 districts of Vidarbha will get 3.71 lakh hectares of irrigation benefits .

"The MahaYuti government in the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is doing great work in terms of water prosperity," added Deputy CM Fadnavis.

/IANS