The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Declare inter-linking of rivers a national project”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 20, 2007
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New Delhi

“Declare inter-linking of rivers a national project”

J. Venkatesan

Any further delay will be detrimental to country’s growth, says Karunanidhi

“Such disputes may threaten integrity, unity of the country”
States cannot bear huge funding involved in linking, he says

New Delhi: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday reiterated that inter-linking of rivers in the country should be declared as a ‘national project’ and a time-bound action plan be implemented for the same.

Addressing the National Development Council meeting of Chief Ministers of various States, Mr. Karunanidhi said: “In the last NDC meeting, I had strongly advocated for inclusion and funding of interlinking of the peninsular rivers in the first instance during the 11th Plan itself.”

He added: “I am afraid that any further delay in the implementation of this project will be detrimental to the development of our nation. All of us are well aware of the strain in the inter-State relations due to inter-State river water disputes. If unresolved, such disputes may pose a threat to the very unity and integrity of this country.”

Mr. Karunanidhi said: “Our nation has an established constitutional and legal framework for resolution of such disputes. Hence, in the interest of harmony among the States, it is imperative that all such disputes are resolved under the existing laws of the land and all the States respect and abide by the decisions of the competent authorities.”

Linking of intra-State rivers would also require substantial funding, which a State government could not afford to bear on its own, he said, and urged that funding of projects for intra-State rivers as already resolved in the 53rd NDC meeting.

“Bold step”

The Chief Minister said the State government took a bold step to waive all cooperative farm loans, which brought immediate relief to farmers who were unable to repay loans due to successive droughts and floods. They could once again access credit.

He requested the Centre to share the cost of waiver of cooperative loans on the lines of the package of concessions given to select States in the country.

Mr. Karunanidhi said States like Tamil Nadu, which had already created rural infrastructure by using State funds, had not been able to access Central assistance from Bharat Nirman. “Be it rural electrification, connectivity or irrigation, Tamil Nadu’s better performance has thus been indirectly penalised,” he said.

Pointing out that the State was implementing a scheme to provide free LPG connections and gas stoves to poor families, he urged the Centre to provide funds for this scheme under Bharat Nirman.

On food security

On programmes to achieve food security, he said: “Our flagship scheme for distribution of land to the landless agricultural labour has attempted successful improvement of wastelands through land development and creation of water resources. We have so far distributed 1, 34,000 acres of lands to 1, 16,000 families.”

He appealed to the Centre to simplify the procedure for State-wise allocation of funds under the National Agriculture Development Programme as the present guidelines for entitlement of funds were too complex.

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