The Hindu : National : Experts panel on linking of rivers set up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 29, 2004

National

National

Experts panel on linking of rivers set up

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 28. The Centre today announced the setting up of a committee of experts on interlinking of rivers. Headed by the Water Resources Secretary, it will advise the Government on environmental and socio-economic aspects of the interlinking programme.

This comes as a precursor to the announcement on the setting up of a Special Cell in the Ministry of Water Resources to coordinate the programme.

The 13-member committee has eight members who are/were with the Government in some capacity or the other.

The Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Secretary of Environment and Forests, the Chairman of the Central Water Commission, the Director-General of the National Water Development Agency, the former Water Resources Secretary, Z. Hasan, and the former member of the CWC Kolkata, P. Sen, have been appointed members.

The Joint Secretary in-charge of the Special Cell shall be the member-secretary.

Other members include sociologists Rajinder Singh and Mala Kapoor, environmentalists Ashok Khosla and M.N. Madhyastha and A.C. Kamraj of the NAWAD Council, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

The committee shall advise the Government on the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package for the displaced population in view of the National R&R Policy and the agency's structure for its implementation.

It shall also advise on additional studies that need to be carried out to address any other concerns in the rivers linking programme.

Will assess impact

The panel will make recommendations on the impact of the proposed inter-basin transfer of water links on settlements, occupations and other socio-economic activities while preparing the Detailed Project Reports.

It will also suggest the adoption of appropriate measures for optimum utilisation of transferred water especially in the water short basins while preparing the DPRs.

Official sources said the committee had been set up against the background of the common minimum programme, indicating that it would make a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of the linking of rivers starting with peninsular rivers in a fully consultative manner.

With this, the Government wants to send the signal that the interlinking programme is on.

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

National