Contrary to early signals, the UPA government has made it clear that it is committed to implementing the mega proposal for interlinking the country’s rivers. Today, in a presentation to President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Water Resources Minister P R Dasmunsi charted a clear schedule, while highlighting the fact that a technical consensus group would submit their observations on the project by October 31.The National Water Development Agency would complete its feasibility report of 18 links out of 30 before December 31, 2005, he added.Resurrected after nearly 30 years by the NDA government, the river-linking project is a grand plan to transfer water from surplus basins to deficient ones. But the project, estimated to cost Rs 560,000 crores, has also raised protests from environmental groups.With some states having raised questions too about the project’s viability, Dasmunsi is planning to meet the chief ministers of UP, MP and Rajasthan in December to try and build a political consensus. The Minister will make another presentation, on the progress and future course of action, before the Prime Minister on October 11.Interestingly, in a bid to grab some credit for the project, Dasmunsi has been saying that it was an ‘‘idea conceived by Indira Gandhi’’.There’s also an attempt to highlight its mention in the CMP, which says: ‘‘The UPA Government will make a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of linking the rivers of the country starting with the south-bound rivers. The assessment will be done in a fully consultative manner.’’However, there’s a vital difference between the approach of the two governments to the project.The UPA says it would first look at southern links, while an NDA task force under Suresh Prabhu had done feasibility studies on two links in the north: Ken-Betwa and Parbati-Kalisindhi-Chambal.
