Chandigarh, February 15: Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal said that State Government has approved a project for the revival of Saraswati River. Under this, Saraswati Dam, Saraswati Barrage and Saraswati Reservoir will be constructed at Adi Badri. Besides this, interlinking of Markanda River and Saraswati River through Kainthla supply channel will also be done. On completion of this project, about 894 hectare meter of flood water will be diverted to Saraswati reservoir. The dam is being designed by the Central Water Commission.
The Chief Minister shared this information while addressing a seminar organized on the theme 'Saraswati River-New Perspectives and Heritage Development' during the ongoing International Saraswati Festival-2021 being organized at Adi badri in district Yamunanagar today. Chief Minister joined the seminar organized by Vidya Bharti Sanskriti Sansthan and Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board through video conferencing.
He said that that the credit of the progress which is being made in the work related to the discovery of river Saraswati today, goes to Late Mr. Darshan Lal Jain. Though he is not with us today, his thoughts are still with us and reviving Saraswati River while following the path shown by him will be a true tribute to him, said the Chief Minister.
Mr. Manohar Lal said that all the doubts regarding existence of Saraswati River have been resolved and scientific evidence has been found for its flow. He said that Haryana is globally known as the cradle of Vedic culture.
On the sacred bank of Saraswati, our saints and sages had written Vedas and other religious texts, said the Chief Minister. He said that the historic war of Mahabharata, also took place in Dharmakshetra-Kurukshetra, which is situated on the banks of Saraswati River. Lord Krishna also gave immortal message of Srimad Bhagavad Gita comprising of knowledge, devotion and deed on this holy land.
He said that according to the description found in Mahabharata, Saraswati originated from a place called Adi badri, which is just above Yamunanagar in Haryana and just below the Shivalik hills. Even today people consider this place to be a place of pilgrimage.
The Chief Minister said that at present more than 70 organizations including ISRO, GSI, SOI, ASI, ONGC, NIH Roorkee, BARC and Saraswati River Research Institute are engaged in research work of Saraswati river heritage. Based on research, documents, reports, and scientific facts, it has been proved that Saraswati River is still flowing underground from Adi badri and upto Kutch in Gujarat.
The Chief Minister said that Saraswati, despite being extinct as a river, has always been worshiped as the goddess of learning. Perhaps this is the reason that on the holy banks of Saraswati, saints and sages shared their knowledge by writing Vedas and Upanishads.
Till now the Harappan civilization was considered to be a gift of Indus River, but research has proved that Saraswati has a huge contribution in this civilization. If we look at the 2600 settlements of Harappan civilization, we find that in present Pakistan there were only 265 settlements on the Indus coast, while most of the remaining settlements are found on the banks of Saraswati River.
Mr. Manohar Lal said that to understand the rise and fall of Indus civilization, it is very important to find the origin and extinction of Saraswati River. The Sarasvati Heritage Development Board was established in the year 2015 by the state government for research and other works on Saraswati. The main function of this Board is to revitalize this sacred river and to highlight the Indian cultural heritage infront of the entire world. The revival of the Saraswati River is a matter of national pride related to our rich cultural, spiritual and archaeological heritage.
The Chief Minister said that Saraswati River Scheme has been finalized according to old maps of Survey of India. Palaeochannel mapping of Saraswati River has been prepared by ISRO, HARSAC, CGWB and other scientific organizations.
The Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board has signed five MoUs with various Central Government Organizations for research activities. These include Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, New Delhi, Indian Space Research Organization, Hyderabad, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee and Geological Survey of India, Lucknow.
Mr. Manohar Lal said that the revival of Saraswati River will revive the ancient Saraswati heritage and bring the world's oldest Saraswati River Civilization to the world. All the 23 small channels and drains falling in the Saraswati River have been named after Saraswati River. This will increase the importance of the pilgrimage sites of Saraswati River.
He said that this project would also be beneficial to develop all such places where there is evidence of Saraswati River and its heritage. The perennial flow of water in the Saraswati River will recharge the groundwater level, as most of the areas in Haryana have turned into a dark zone. Besides this, the work of interlinking both Som and Ghaggar rivers with the Saraswati river is underway, which will result in flood control, improved irrigation and groundwater recharging.
The Chief Minister said that the development of National Level Tourism Circuits in Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Hisar, Rakhi-Garhi, Fatehabad and Sirsa from Adibadri to Sirsa will create new pilgrimage opportunities in these areas, resulting in new employment and business opportunities. Riverfront development along the Saraswati river will improve the basic amenities and also improve the socio-economic condition of the region. Also, afforestation on the banks of river Saraswati will help in maintaining environmental balance. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also gave advance wishes to the people of the state for sacred festival of Basant Panchami.
Earlier, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Mr. Rattan Lal Kataria, Haryana Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr. Sandeep Singh and High Commission of Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Roger Gopaul also presented their views in the seminar.
Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Ji Maharaj, Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra, Mr. Nayab Saini, MLA, Thanesar, Mr. Subhash Sudha, Deputy Chairman, Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board, Mr. Dhuman Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Science and Technology Department and Advisor, Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Board, Mr. Amit Jha, Director, Vidya Bharti Sanskriti Shiksha Sansthan, Dr. Ramendra Singh, Convener of this seminar, Mr. Arvind Kaushik and other dignitaries also joined the seminar.