Lok Sabha Question No. 954 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-21
Subject: Ken-Betwa River Linking Project
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: ASADUDDIN OWAISI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UN STARRED QUESTION NO. 954

ANSWERED ON 21.12.2017

## KEN - BETWA RIVER LINKING PROJECT

## 954. SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI

Will the Minister of WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION be pleased to state:

(a) the year in which the inter - linking of river project was conceived along with the present st this regard;

(b)  whether  Ken - Betwa  river  linking project  has  been  stuck  between  Uttar  Pradesh  and  Madhya Pradesh and has been further delayed due to an appeal in NGT against environmental clearan so, the details thereof;

(c) the total funds so far spent on this project and main bottlenecks bein g faced by the Government in its implementation; and

(d) the further efforts being made by the Government to bring different States on board bottlenecks?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION & PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## ( SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHW AL )

(a)  The  National  Perspective  Plan  (NPP)  was  prepared  by  the  then  Ministry  of  Irrigat Ministry  of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  &  Ganga  Rejuvenation  ( MoWR,  RD  &  GR)  in August 1980 for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water, for water  from  water  surplus  basins  to  water - deficit  basins.  Under  the  NPP,  the  National  Wate Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 lin ks (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports. The Pre -Feasibility Report of the all 30 links have been prepared and circulated to the concerned State Governments by the NWDA. survey and inve stigations, Feasibility Reports of 14 links under Peninsular Component and Fe Reports  of  2  links  and  draft  Feasibility  Reports  of  7  links  (Indian  portion)  under Component have been completed. Present status, States concerned and States b enefited of Inter Basin Water Transfer Links are given in Annexure .

Four priority links under Peninsular Rivers Component have been identified for prepa Detailed Project Reports (DPR) viz; Ken - Betwa  link  project  (KBLP)  Phase -I & II, Damanganga -Pinjallink project, Par - Tapi - Narmada link projectand Mahanadi-Godavari linkproject. The

preparation of DPR of a project is taken up only after consent of concerned State Government on the concurrence of the concerned States, DPRs of KBLP Phase -I & Phase -II, Damanganga - Pinjal link project and Par - Tapi - Narmada link project have been completed. The techno - economic clearance and  various  statutory  clearances  of  the  KBLP  Phase -I  have  been  accorded.  The  techno - economic clearance  of  the  Damanganga - Pinjal  link  project  has  also  been  accorded  subject  to  sta clearances. The DPR of Par - Tapi - Narmada link project has been submitted for technical appraisal Central Water Commission.

(b) to (d) The KBLP has not been struck between State of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pra (MP). The Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenati on convened a meeting  with  Chief  Ministers  of  UP  and  MP  on  25.09.2017.  Both  the  Chief  Ministers  agr implementation of the project. Draft Memorandum of Understanding for implementation of th -Betwa link project has been sent to the concerned Stat es of UP and MP for concurrence.

The Environmental Clearance (EC) has been granted by Ministry of Environment, Fores Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC )  vide  letter  dated  25.08.2017  with  certain  conditions.  The  P Proponent/  Implementing  Agency  shall  abide  by  all  the  conditions  in  totality  laid MoEF&CC.

Recently two parties viz., i) Himanshu Thakkar (Appeal no. 33 of 2017) and ii) Con ion Action Trust & Anr (Appeal no.34 of 2017) have filed two separate court cases in NGT, New quash the Environmental Clearance accorded by MoEF&CC for KBLP Phase -I. The appeal no. 33 of 2017 came up for hearing on 27.10.2017 and 27.11.2017. Simil arly, the appeal no.34 came up for hearing on 27.11.2017. The matter is currently subjudice.

The Government has not spent any fund on implementation of the Ken -Betwa link project as its implementation is yet to be taken up.

*****

## ANNEXURE

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Unstarred Question No. 954 to be answered in Lo 21.12.2017 regarding ' Ken - Betwa River Linking Project ' .

## Present status of Inter Basin Water Transfer Links, the States involved, name of rivers status of Feasibility Reports/Detailed Project Report

| Sl. No               | Name                                                   | Rivers                         | States concerned                                                                                   | Status                        |
|----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| Peninsular Component | Peninsular Component                                   |                                |                                                                                                    |                               |
| 1                    | Mahanadi (Manibhadra) - Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link   | Mahanadi & Godavari            | Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, & Chattisgarh                                      | FR Completed                  |
| 2                    | Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Pulichintala)        | link Godavari & Krishna        | - do-                                                                                              | FR Completed                  |
| 3                    | Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link | Godavari & Krishna             | Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Chattisgarh,                      | FR Completed                  |
| 4                    | Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada)            | link Godavari & Krishna        | Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, & Chattisgarh                                      | FR Completed                  |
| 5                    | Krishna (Almatti) - Pennar link                        | Krishna & Pennar               | - do-                                                                                              | FR Completed                  |
| 6                    | Krishna (Srisailam) - Pennar link                      | Krishna & Pennar               | - do-                                                                                              | FR Completed                  |
| 7                    | Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila ) link     | Krishna & Pennar               | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh& Karnataka,                                                            | FR Completed                  |
| 8                    | Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link        | Pennar & Cauvery               | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry                                         | FR Completed                  |
| 9                    | Cauvery (Kattalai) -Vaigai - Gundar link               | Cauvery, Vaigai & Gundar       | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry                                                         | FR Completed                  |
| 10                   | Ken -Betwa link                                        | Ken & Betwa                    | Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh                                                                     | FR & DPR (Ph- I&II) Completed |
| 11                   | Parbati - Kalisindh - Chambal link                     | Parbati, Kalisindh & Chambal   | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh (UP requested to be consulted during consensus building) | FR Completed                  |
| 12                   | Par - Tapi - Narmada link                              | Par, Tapi & Narmada            | Maharashtra & Gujarat                                                                              | FR & DPR Completed            |
| 13                   | Damanganga -Pinjal link                                | Damanganga & Pinjal            | Maharashtra & Gujarat                                                                              | FR & DPR Completed            |
| 14                   | Bedti-Varda link                                       | Bedti & Varda                  | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka                                                            | PFR Completed                 |
| 15                   | Netravati - Hemavati link                              | Netravati & Hemavati           | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala                                                                     | PFR Completed                 |
| 16                   | Pamba -Achankovil- Vaippar link                        | Pamba, Achankovil & Vaippar    | Kerala & Tamil Nadu,                                                                               | FR Completed                  |
| Himalayan Component  | Himalayan Component                                    |                                |                                                                                                    |                               |
| 1.                   | Manas - Sankosh- Tista - Ganga (M-S- T-G) link         | Manas - Sankosh- Tista - Ganga | Assam, West Bengal, Bihar& Bhutan                                                                  | PFR completed                 |
| 2.                   | Kosi- Ghaghra link                                     | Kosi &                         | Bihar , Uttar Pradesh &                                                                            | PFR completed                 |

|   Sl. No | Name                                                        | Rivers                        | States concerned                                              | Status                                   |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
|        3 | Gandak-Ganga link                                           | Ghaghra Gandak & Ganga        | Nepal - do-                                                   | Draft FR completed (Indian portion)      |
|        4 | Ghaghra- Yamuna link                                        | Ghaghra & Yamuna              | - do-                                                         | FR completed (Indian portion)            |
|        5 | Sarda - Yamuna link                                         | Sarda & Yamuna                | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand & Nepal | FR completed (Indian portion)            |
|        6 | Yamuna - Rajasthan link                                     | Yamuna & Sukri                | Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana & Rajasthan                   | Draft FR completed                       |
|        7 | Rajasthan - Sabarmati link                                  | Sabarmati                     | - do-                                                         | Draft FR completed                       |
|        8 | Chunar- Sone Barrage link                                   | Ganga & Sone                  | Bihar & Uttar Pradesh                                         | Draft FR completed                       |
|        9 | Sone Dam - Southern Tributaries of Ganga                    | link Sone & Badua             | Bihar & Jharkhand                                             | PFR completed                            |
|       10 | Ganga(Farakka) - Damodar - Subernarekha link                | Ganga, Damodar & Subernarekha | West Bengal, Odisha & Jharkhand                               | Draft FR completed                       |
|       11 | Subernarekha - Mahanadi link                                | Subernarekha & Mahanadi       | West Bengal & Odisha                                          | Draft FR Completed                       |
|       12 | Kosi- Mechi link                                            | Kosi &Mechi                   | Bihar , West Bengal & Nepal                                   | PFR completed Entirely lies in Nepal     |
|       13 | Ganga (Farakka) - Sunderbans link                           | Ganga & Ichhamati             | West Bengal                                                   | Draft FR completed                       |
|       14 | Jogighopa -Tista - Farakka link (Alternative to M - S-T- G) | Manas, Tista Ganga            | - do-                                                         | (Alternative to M - S-T- G Link) dropped |

- PFR -Pre  Feasibility Report
- FR -Feasibility Report
- DPR -Detailed Project Report