Lok Sabha Question No. 4047 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-12
Subject: Ken-Betwa River Inter-linking Project
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Bidyut Baran Mahato, Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Sudheer Gupta, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4047

## ANSWERED ON 12 .12 .2019

## KEN - BETWA RIVER INTER - LINKING PROJECT

## 4047. SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE SHRI SANJAY SADASHIV RAO MANDLIK SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of Ken -Betwa river inter linking project;

(b) the details of th e areas likely to be benefited therefrom;

(c) whether as per the report of CEC, 6,017 hectare of forest land and Panna tiger reserve w due to the project resulting in loss of wildlife habitat and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the efforts being made by the Government to bring different States on board to sort out the (e) the details of the river linking projects of various States pending with the Government environmental approval along with their prese nt status?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI & SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

## (SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA )

(a)The  Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR)  of  Ken -Betwa link  project  (KBLP)  (Phase -I,  Phase -II  and Comprehensive) has been completed. The techno - economic clearance and various statutory clearances the  KBLP  Phase - I  have  been  accorded  (except  Stage -II  Forest  clearance  and  clearance  from  Centr Empowered  Comm ittee  (CEC)  of  the  Supreme  Court).  The  Environmental  clearance  and  Forest diversion  clearances  for  Lower  Orr  dam  (part  of  phase -II)  have  been  recommended  by  Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Forest Appraisal Committee (FAC) of Ministry of Envi ronment, Forest and  Climate  Change  (MoEF& CC)  respectively.  Stage -I  forest  clearance  has  been  accorded  by MoEF & CC for Lower Orr dam project. Ministry of Tribal Affairs ( MoTA) clearance for Rehabilitation and  Resettlement  (R& R)  plan  of  Project  Affected  Families  (PAFs)  of  Lower  Orr  dam  has  also accorded. Environmental clearance and Stage -I&II forest clearances for Bina complex projects have accorded by MoEF& CC. Comprehensive DPR of KBLP has been prepared and sent to Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and Central Water Commission (CWC) in October, 2018.

(b) As  per  the  comprehensive  DPR,  the  total  annual  irrigation  under  the  KBLP  is  9.04 comprising of 6.53 lakh ha in Madhya Pradesh and 2.51 lakh ha in Uttar Pradesh.

(c) Out of the 6017 ha of forest area coming under submergence of Daudhan dam of KBLP, 4206 area lies within the core tiger habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve.

(d) The interlinking of rivers (ILR) programme has been taken up on high priority. The Government pursuing the ILR program in a consultative manner. A 'Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers' has been constituted in September, 2014 for the implementation of ILR programme. Sixteen meetin he Special  Committee  have  been  held  so  far.  Further,  a  Task  Force  for  Interlinking  of  Rive constituted by MoWR, RD & GR in April, 2015 and eleven meetings of the Task Force have been far. Efforts have been made for building consensus amo ng the c ncerned States and also setting out r maps for implementation of the projects.

In respect of KBLP, meetings have been convened by Central Government at the level o Ministers as well as at the level of Chief Secretaries of the party State s o expedite th  implementation of the project.

(e) The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) received 47 intra - State link proposals from nine States. NWDA prepared Pre - feasibility reports of 37 links and sent to the concerned States. The l inks have been found not feasible or withdrawn by concerned States.

The DPRs of intra - State links viz. (i) Burhi Gandak - Noon - Baya- Ganga link of Bihar, (ii) Kosi -Mechi link of Bihar, (iii) Ponnaiyar - Palar  Link  of  Tamil  Nadu,  (iv)  Wainganga  (Gosikhurd) - Nalganga (Purna Tapi) Link of Maharashtra have been completed and sent to the concerned State Governm of the above four intra - State links, the techno -economic clearance for Kosi - Mechi intra - State link project has been accorded by Ministry of Jal Shakt i. The Environmental clearance for the project has also accorded by MoEF& CC.

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