HISTORIC INITIATIVE: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, flanked by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav (left) and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Ken-Betwa River Link Pr oject, in New Delhi on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday asked the States to take into account all social and environmental aspects before implementing any river linking projects.

Dr. Singh was speaking on the occasion of signing of an agreement among the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for preparing a `Detailed Project Report' (DPR) on the linking of the Ken and Betwa rivers.

Under the Rs. 4,263-crore project, surplus waters of the Ken will be transferred to the Betwa basin in U.P.

A dam and a 231 km-long link canal will be constructed in eight years.

This is the first of the 30 link projects proposed at an estimated cost of Rs. 5,60,000 crores.

Under the project, about five dams will be built and about 8,650 hectares, including 6,400 hectares of forest area, will be submerged.

The link canal will pass through the Panna National Park in M.P. and about 8,550 people of 10 villages will be displaced.

Pat for Manmohan

The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, hailed the agreement as a "bold and historic initiative, set to change the water management paradigm in the country."

He praised Dr. Singh and the UPA Government for facilitating the agreement and expressed the hope that the Centre would motivate other States to link major rivers.

The memorandum of agreement (MoU) was signed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur and Union Water Resources Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

Mr. Dasmunsi said the Centre would bear the entire cost for preparing the DPR, estimated at Rs. 30 crores. A sum of Rs. 6 crores had been set aside in this budget; and for the rest, the Ministry would raise a demand in the supplementary demand for grants.

"The DPR would take into consideration issues of environment, rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced populations, riparian zones and other concerns of the States."

United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi was scheduled to attend but did not participate in the function.

As per the MoU, the Centre would decide on the necessary organisational framework to complete the DPR and implement the project.

The MoU calls for specific agreements, based on the DPR, between the two States on the scope of the link, the sharing of costs and benefits and an arrangement for management and control of water.

UP's fears

Although Mr. Yadav hailed the MoU as "historic," he referred to Uttar Pradesh's fears that the reduced availability of water at the Paricha weir could affect irrigation in Jhansi, Jalaun and Hamirpur.

He also sought compensation from M.P. for any of loss of power at downstream Rajghat and Matatila dams due to low availability of water.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Minister Munna Singh and Anuradha Choudhary, accompanied Mr. Yadav.

Mr. Gaur said inter-linking of rivers was a "dream" of Mr. Vajpayee.

"The link would help farmers and the poor in the State," he pointed out.

He would try to persuade his Rajasthan counterpart, Vasundhara Raje, for effecting the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal link between the two States.

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