The Hindu : River grid project only after consensus: Sethi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003

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River grid project only after consensus: Sethi

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi April 22. The Rs. 560,000 crore mega project for interlinking rivers will not be implemented unless there was consensus on the issue, the Minister for Water Resources, Arjun Charan Sethi, assured the Rajya Sabha today.

He admitted that there had been divergent views on the issue and that efforts were on to narrow down the differences.

He was replying to a supplementary by Karnendu Bhattacharjee (Cong.) who said the mammoth project was "nothing but a propaganda''.

Actress-turned-politician, Shabana Azmi (Nom.) also sought to know what efforts the Government had made to involve groups like the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) who had done a lot for the people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Project where also it is claimed that resettlement has not been done.

She said intra-basin transfer of waters which involved construction of dams and barrages were notorious the world over for displacement of people and environment degradation.

The cost benefit of such a mega project impacting so many people would be unviable. "What has been done to involve groups which are critical rather than those who appreciate the project,'' she asked. Shiv Sena member, Satish Pradhan expressed concern that under the interlinking project, Vidarbha and Marathwada region in Maharashtra will not get any benefit.

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