The Hindu : Move for MoU with States on interlinking of rivers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 28, 2003

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Move for MoU with States on interlinking of rivers

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI MARCH 27. The Centre will go in for an "ombudsman-type'' of Memorandum of Understanding with State Governments for interlinking rivers. The proposal calls for protecting the riverine rights of States. It seeks to assure them that their riparian rights and needs for water would be protected and only surplus water will be transferred under the interlinking project. The proposal has been sent to the Law Ministry for its opinion.

The Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers, which met here today, nominated the former Ambassador, Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, to open a dialogue with Nepal and Bhutan for construction of dams as part of the Himalayan links.

While several of the key links were already under deliberation with these countries, Mr. Dasgupta is expected to accelerate the process through negotiations.

The Task Force, chaired by Suresh Prabhu, decided to initiate dialogues with the Finance Ministry soon for evolving ways and means of funding the gigantic project, estimated at Rs. 5,60,000 crores.

Financial and management institutions would be associated to come up with a concrete proposal for project funding and organisational structure.

Sources said the meeting decided that the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), which assists the Task Force, would formulate an Approach Paper.

The NWDA is also involved in pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, but the task of preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPR) would be entrusted to private agencies.

Following the objections raised by Kerala on the "20-year-old'' feasibility study on the Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar link with Tamil Nadu, the Task Force has decided to "strengthen'' the NWDA and other agencies and update NWDA studies and put them on the "fast-track''. The Task Force has its task laid out by the Government in that it has to come up with its first Action Plan by April.

Mr. Prabhu is entrusted with the job of working out a mechanism for consensus among States on the project.

He informed the Task Force of the meetings he has had in the last two months with some Chief Ministers, leaders of political parties, Union Ministers and members of the civil society. According to him, "a positive mindset was discernible in all these interchanges''.

Recognising that a consensus was needed among co-basin States for assistance in preparation of DPRs and implementation of possible links, the present mechanism would be reinforced through formal and informal meetings with Chief Ministers.

A meeting with Chief Ministers would be convened for their consensus.

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