The BJP has claimed that the river linking project drawn up during the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA Government would be brought to reality by the Narendra Modi-led Central Government.
BJP Madhya Pradesh organisational general secretary Arvind Menon in a statement here on Tuesday said, "The country sometimes faces drought like situations due to lesser or no rains and sometimes the excess rains plays havoc causing losses by ruining crops over lakhs of acres of land besides losses of billion of rupees of property and livestock."
Menon further said that the then Vajpayee Government of the Centre sent a message to get rid of the problem of floods and lesser or no rains by drawing an outline of a river linking project. "Modi Government of the Centre would restart work over the project in the better interests of the country," he added.
He said that the implementation of the scheme would require nationalistic thinking and comprehensive vision, besides will of the States. He said that for inter-state river linking, 30 connecting corridors have been identified on a national level. Project report of three connecting corridors has been prepared by the National Water Development agency, he added.
Menon said that the connecting corridors that prominently figure in the list include Ken-Betwa project of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Daman Ganga-Pinjal linking and Narmada-Partapi linking. The DPR of the Ken-Betwa, Daman Ganga-Pinjal and Narmada-Partapi is also ready and the project has been handed over to the concerned states, he added.
He said that under the NPP it is expected that additional irrigation on 35 million hectares and 34,000 megawatt hydel power could be obtained from these projects.