The Hindu : Patil urges Centre to clear proposals to link rivers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Patil urges Centre to clear proposals to link rivers

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore May 11. The Centre should clear the proposals on linking of rivers sent by States such as Karnataka to demonstrate its sincerity and will power to implement its concept of interlinking rivers, the Water Resources Minister, H.K. Patil, observed here today.

Mr. Patil made the observations in the context of the two proposals of the State pending before the Centre for a number of years. One of them proposed the diversion of about 15 tmcft. of water by linking the Madayi to the Malaprabha through an eight-km. tunnel. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 100 crore. The "in-principle" clearance for the proposal given by the Centre had been held back last September, Mr. Patil said. He was inaugurating an administrative office building of National River Linking Coordination Committee of the Lokseva Trust here.

Mr. Patil referred to the proposal to link the Godavari and the Pennar sent for approval by Andhra Pradesh for the diversion of 80 tmcft. of water. He said that from the quantity to be diverted, the State was to get 23 tmcft. of water. The proposal was pending for two decades. The Centre should clear such projects immediately to convince the people and the State of its sincerity and will power to implement the concept, he added. Pointing out that linking of rivers alone was not the solution to the problem of floods and droughts, Mr. Patil said it was equally important to harvest rainwater. The Government had, therefore, decided to take up the construction of a series of 100 barrages, and the preliminary survey was in the final stages. The Centre should provide special facilities such as making funds available under the "accelerated irrigation benefit programme" for them, Mr. Patil added.

Balagangadharanatha Swamiji of the Adichunchanagiri Math, who was the chief guest, said it was not possible for the Government alone to execute projects such as linking of rivers, and added that non-governmental organisations should participate in them.

The former Chief Justice of the erstwhile Mysore High Court, Nittoor Srinivasa Rau, and a retired engineer, S. Doreswamy Iyer, were felicitated on the occasion.

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