The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Solutions can be found for rivers interlinking project'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Solutions can be found for rivers interlinking project'

By Our Special Correspondent

M.S. Udayamurthy, founder, Makkal Sakthi Eiyakkam, and G. K. Vasan, president, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, in a conversation at a conference on interlinking of rivers in Chennai on Sunday. Looking on (from left) are Sharad Joshi, founder, Shetkari Sanghatana; Peddireddy Chengala Reddy, chairman, Federation of Farmers' Association (Andhra Pradesh), and N. Sethuraman, founder-chairman, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre, Madurai. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI, SEPT. 19. Answers to environmental questions should be found but the environmental factor should not be used to stall the implementation of the project of interlinking of rivers, Sharad Joshi, Rajya Sabha member and founder of Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers' organisation based in Maharashtra, said today.

Conceding that environmental consequences of the project posed a serious problem, Mr. Joshi told a conference on interlinking of rivers organised by the Makkal Sakthi Eiyakkam (People's Power Movement) that solutions would have to be found at an appropriate time and they were now possible with technological advancement.

Stating that interlinking was not just a creation of physical network, Mr. Joshi said it was also aimed at ensuring inter-dependence of States and rivers. "Water problems, if not adequately addressed, may even lead to break-up of the country," he said, referring to the recent enactment of a law by the Punjab Government to abrogate inter-State river water treaties.

He suggested to the organisers to produce materials on the subject also in languages other than Tamil and adopt a coordinated approach with organisations in other States in translating the idea into reality.

Plea to farmers

Peddireddy Chengala Reddy, chairman, Federation of Farmers' Association (Andhra Pradesh), urged people of Tamil Nadu, particularly farmers, to launch a "mass mail campaign" addressed to the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, appealing to them for taking up the project on an urgent basis. "Please arrange to send one crore post cards to them," he said, adding that the people should conduct `satyagraha' every month to highlight the issue. The main flaw was that the interlinking of rivers was not projected as a matter concerning rural people and farmers, Mr. Reddy said.

M.R. Sivasamy, president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, said regional parochialism came in the way of States sharing their water resources with others. Until the subject of river water was not included in the Union List of the Constitution, the interlinking of rivers would not be possible.

S. Kalyanaraman, former advisor to the Asian Development Bank, said as done in the case of the Konkan Railway project, young engineering graduates could be used to carry out survey and investigation and prepare alternative solutions for regional and sub-regional water grids and canal alignments. Society and community leaders should also be involved. Bonds could be floated for financing the project with the guarantee of major banks and financial institutions. The beneficiary-farmers could repay the loan over 20 years with a five-year grace period.

C. Kuppuraj, former Chief Engineer in the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department, said statutory bodies should be created to implement the project and they could explore the option of purchasing rights of States for surplus water by compensating such States financially or otherwise.

G.K. Vasan, president, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, expressed his party's commitment to the issue. He appealed to political parties not to adopt "vote-bank politics" on issues concerning education, health and sharing of inter-State river water.

M.S. Udayamurthy, founder, Makkal Sakthi Eiyakkam, traced the efforts of his body in making the issue of interlinking of rivers an important item on the national agenda.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu