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* Multi-purpose Development of Damodar Valley
Labour Member’s Speech at Calcutta Conference
“ The project (harnessing the waters of the Damodar River) is a welcome one to the Government of India. It very clearly shows a fine prospect of the control of the River, a prospect of controlling floods, of securing a fine area for perennial irrigation with resultant insurance against famine and a much needed supply of power. I am sure it will be more than welcome to the Governments of Bengal and Bihar if they realise what the project will mean to them and their people.”
Thus observed the Hon’ble Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Labour Member, Government of India, in his address to representatives of Bengal and Bihar Governments at a Conference held in Calcutta on August 23 to discuss the Preliminary Memorandum on the Damodar Valley Multipurpose Project. The session lasted two days, and the Labour Member presided.
Here is the full text of Dr. Ambedkar’s speech :
“We are now meeting for the second lime to discuss the project for harnessing the waters of the Damodar River. As you will recall, our first meeting in this connection took place on January 3, 1945. We then considered the Report of the Damodar River Flood Enquiry Committee-appointed by the Government of Bengal in 1944.
“The issue before us was whether we should be content with damming the river for the purpose of stopping the flood only or whether we should make it a multi-purpose project so as to cover generation of electricity and the supply of water for irrigation and navigation also. The consensus of opinion at that Conference was that we should go in for the latter. Accordingly, the Conference decided to take the next step, namely to create machinery for collecting the necessary data to
- Indian Information, October 1, 1945, pp. 345-49.