Two river-linking projects likely for State: Gadkari

Chief Minister welcomes proposal; technical experts to submit report soon

November 24, 2017 12:57 am | Updated 07:44 am IST - CHENNAI

New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari at a conference "India – On the Cusp of a Logistics Revolution 'Key to Transformation of the Indian Economy', organised by the ASSOCHAM India in New Delhi on Thursday.  PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI7_13_2017_000013A)

New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari at a conference "India – On the Cusp of a Logistics Revolution 'Key to Transformation of the Indian Economy', organised by the ASSOCHAM India in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI7_13_2017_000013A)

Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that his Ministry was exploring two river-linking projects that would solve Tamil Nadu’s water scarcity.

The Minister said that he had asked a team of technical experts to look at the proposal. He said that the team’s report was due in a month, after which he will convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana to seek approvals. The Central government will fund 90% of the project.

Mr. Gadkari — who also handles the Road Transport, Highways and Shipping and River Development portfolios — made the announcement after a review meeting of the projects being implemented in the State. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami led the State government team and later addressed a joint conference with Mr. Gadkari at the Crowne Plaza, Chennai Adyar Park.

The Chief Minister welcomed the proposal. “I believe that this project will end our farmers’ struggle to find water. We thank the Minister for conceptualising this project,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

Mr. Gadkari said that water would be taken from the Godavari and Indravati. He pointed out that 3,000 tmc of water flows from the Godavari into the sea. “My Ministry has, therefore, decided to transfer the surplus water of the Godavari to the Krishna and Pennar and finally to the Cauvery,” he said.

“Initially, about 300 tmc of water is proposed to be lifted from the Godavari river, upstream of the Polavaram project, by steel pipe to save on land acquisition costs. This water will be released on the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam on the Krishna river. Further, the water would be taken from the Krishna up to Somasila project on the Pennar and then to Grand Anicut on the Cauvery. Around 100 tmc of water will be carried to the Cauvery,” said the Minister.

The second proposal involves a dam on the Indravati river on the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border. “We will now request Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to take that water to the Nagarjuna Sagar and then to the Somasila dam. Then, it can come to the Cauvery — the part of Tamil Nadu, without the Karnataka connectivity,” Mr. Gadkari said.

Other projects

Mr. Gadkari estimated that he had approved projects — relating to highways, shipping, water resources and irrigation — worth over a lakh crore rupees at the meeting.

Among the new projects are three elevated corridors: Tambaram-Chengalpattu, Poonamallee-Maduravoyal and Chennai-Nellore at a total of ₹4,750 crore. The Minister said that work on the Chennai-Bengaluru Express Highway will begin once 80% of the land acquisition was completed.

Mr. Palaniswami said that most projects that the State government presented before Mr. Gadkari had been approved. Among those discussed and set aside for further consideration was a proposal for bus ports at Madurai and Coimbatore. Nemmeli or Mappedu, near Chennai, could be the site for a logistics park.

Mr. Gadkari also talked in detail about his Ministry’s plans to modernise the Tuticorin port. He said that a total of ₹3,000 crore would be spent to dredge the port, increasing its draft from 14 m to 16.5 m. This would lead to a 30% reduction of logistics cost and a 50% capacity increase.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit, criticised recently by the opposition parties for his review meetings with bureaucrats, discussed the implementation of specific projects with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

A press statement from the Raj Bhavan said that during Mr. Gadkari’s Raj Bhavan visit, the Governor brought up the interlinking of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Palar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar.

He also pressed for the diversion of surplus waters of the Pamba and Achankoil to the Vaippar river, “and requested for an early decision in the matter.” The Governor also brought up the speedy approval of the Avinashi-Athikadavu scheme.

“These topics were earlier brought to the notice of the Governor by the State government and he had highlighted them at the Conference of Governors held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi recently,” said the statement.

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