Interlinking of rivers not in 11th Five Year Plan

NEW DELHI: Interlinking of rivers is not envisaged during the 11th Five Year Plan, although some allocation has been made for preparing feasibility reports to link the rivers, the Government said on Tuesday.

"Implementation of any of the links under NPP (National Perspective Plan) is not envisaged during XI Plan," Minister of State for Water Resources Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

He said, however, a provision of Rs 220 crore has been proposed in the 11th Plan for preparing feasibility reports of links under the NPP for Water Resources Development, that had been formulated in 1980 with the aim of inter-linking rivers.

As many as 30 river links, 16 peninsular and 14 Himalayan, have been identified under the NPP. Out of these, feasibility reports of 14 links under peninsular component and two links under the Himalayan component have already been completed.

Yadav said most of the states are supportive of the concept of inter-linking of rivers, provided the project can somehow ensure a "win-win" situation for all the states.

He noted that Kerala has passed a resolution in the Assembly to drop the proposal of Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar link. "The Central Government has taken note of it and has decided not to treat it as a priority link for consensus building purpose at present," Yadav said.