'Hiraba Smriti Sarovar': Check dam named after PM Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben in Rajkot

Rajkot: A check dam being constructed on the outskirts of Gujarat's Rajkot city has been named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother Hiraben, an official said on Friday. The check dam is being built at the cost of Rs 15 lakh by 'Gir Ganga Parivar Trust on the downstream of Nyari river near Vagudad village on Rajkot-Kalawad road, president of the trust Dilip Sakhiya said. A ground breaking ceremony for the dam was performed on Wednesday in the presence of local MLA Darshita Shah and Rajkot Mayor Pradip Dav, it was stated. "As a tribute to the prime minister's mother, we have decided to name the check dam, Hiraba Smriti Sarovar, because it is being built in her memory. This will also inspire others to do something or donate for a good cause after the death of their loved ones," Sakhiya said.

Hiraba passed away at 99 at a hospital in Ahmedabad on December 30. The trust has built 75 check dams in the last four months with financial help from donors, he said. The latest dam will be completed within two weeks and will have a capacity to store nearly 2.5 crore litres of water, Sakhiya said.

"The dam will be 400 feet long and 150 feet wide. Once filled, it will not go dry for nine months. It will recharge groundwater and eventually help farmers and livestock owners from nearby villages," he said.