Overview
- Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inspected the Sleemanabad tunnel site on Friday as state officials said the project has entered its final phase.
- The 11.952‑km, 10.14‑metre‑diameter gravity tunnel is part of the Bargi Diversion Project and is intended to deliver Narmada water into the Son basin for irrigation and drinking supply.
- Officials report physical work at about 96.66 percent complete with the main tunnel and most canals finished and only a short cut‑and‑cover canal section left to be completed.
- Engineers overcame extreme geology — hard marble and limestone, underground caverns and heavy water ingress — by importing a German TBM, using specialised TAM grouting and high‑capacity dewatering systems.
- The project cost rose from an estimated Rs 799 crore in 2008 to about Rs 1,610.47 crore and the government has set staged targets to expand irrigated area to roughly 87,433 hectares by December 2026 and 154,693 hectares by December 2027.