The Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan has claimed that a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments for the ambitious Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) will herald a “new era” of development. A detailed project report (DPR) for the ERCP will be prepared under the pact.
The previous Congress regime had turned a demand for national project status for the ₹37,200-crore ERCP into a major election issue while accusing the BJP government at the Centre of ignoring the interests of people in 13 districts, which were set to benefit from it. The Congress alleged that the BJP had gone back on its promise.
In its original form, the ERCP was to be implemented along with the interlinking of Parvati, Kali Sindh and Chambal rivers. Since the Centre did not accept the demand for national project status, the Congress government started work with its resources, with the construction of the Navnera-Bisalpur-Isarda link, Mahalpur barrage and Ramgarh barrage at a cost of ₹9,600 crore.
The MoU signed in New Delhi on Sunday in the presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Chief Ministers Bhajan Lal Sharma and Mohan Yadav will incorporate the work done so far in the State. This will be the second project under the Centre’s national perspective plan of interlinking of rivers.
BJP State president C.P. Joshi said here that collaboration between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had become possible after the formation of the “double engine government”. The revamped Parvati-Kali Sindh-Chambal link project of the ERCP would be a cornerstone for development of both the States, with ample water for drinking and irrigation, Mr. Joshi said.
26 districts to benefit
A total of 26 districts in both the States will benefit from the agreement and 25 lakh agriculturist families in 13 districts of Rajasthan will get access to irrigation water. The water will irrigate 2.80-lakh hectares of land, contributing to an increase in the ground water level.
Districts which will benefit from the project are Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur, where a population of 3.5 crore resides. The Congress government had sought national project status on the ground that the huge project cost could not be borne by the State alone.
However, Kisan Mahapanchayat president Rampal Jat said the MoU had undermined the original DPR, as the quantity of water to be received by Rajasthan would be reduced by half. “The DPR of 2017 stipulated that the State would receive 3,510 million cubic metres of water. The project’s integration with interlinking of three rivers will reduce the quantity of water to 1,775 MCM, which will not be sufficient for the 13 districts,” Mr. Jat said.
The signing of MoU’s also came up in the State Assembly on Tuesday with the government making a statement on the floor of the House. The proceedings were adjourned twice because of protests by Congress MLAs, who pointed out several shortcomings in the agreement and demanded that the government reconsider it.
Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat said the previous Congress government had not made any meaningful efforts to implement the ERCP during its tenure and the new MoU would help provide ample water to the State. “The pact will be the dawn of a golden era for both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
Congress MLAs Murari Lal Meena and Rohit Bohra said the agreement would harm the interests of the State. Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA and former Minister Subhash Garg alleged that the BJP government has mortgaged the water interests of the State. The Opposition members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans for some time.
