Rajasthan: BJP MP seeks removal of 'technical flaws' in canal project

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena on Tuesday began a vehicle rally with his supporters from Dausa to Jaipur, demanding that the state government remove ''technical flaws'' in the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.

The rally started from Nangalpyarias in Dausa and stopped near Jatwara in Jaipur district where state Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh and senior officials reached for talks. Deputy Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Rajendra Rathore and former state BJP president Arun Chaturvedi were also there.

Before starting the rally, Meena pointed to the ''technical flaws'' in the project, telling people that some dams in the districts for which the project has been mooted have been left out.

He said Chief Minister Gehlot had earlier written to the Madhya Pradesh government for a non-objection certificate for the project, which was not given.

Arun Chaturvedi said the state government should send a fresh proposal to the central government after addressing technical issues so that the project could be given the status of a national project.

The Centre earlier directed to stop the project, citing the lack of consent from other states.

The rally came on a day Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he talked to Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan over the project, after which his counterpart agreed to meet him to build a consensus.

However, Gehlot on Tuesday said the consent of the Madhya Pradesh government was not required for the project, citing a decision of an interstate board way back in 2005.

Rajasthan's Congress government has been long demanding that it be given the status of a national project as the canal will benefit 13 districts facing scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation purposes.

Gehlot on Tuesday tweeted that the project will receive water from tributaries of the Chambal river in Rajasthan and use less than 10 per cent of the water flowing from Madhya Pradesh.

''In the past, Rajasthan also did not object to the projects constructed by Madhya Pradesh on the Chambal and tributaries like this,'' Gehlot said.

''Similarly, the cooperation of Madhya Pradesh is expected on the ERCP,'' Gehlot added.

Earlier, the Rajasthan government had said Madhya Pradesh's objection to the project was baseless.

The Rajasthan government said it prepared a detailed project report in accordance with the decision taken by the interstate board and in compliance with the 2010 guidelines of the Central Water Commission.

The project aims at harvesting surplus water available during the rainy season in the Chambal and its tributaries Kunnu, Parvati and Kalisindh, and use it in 13 districts where there is a scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation purposes.

Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur are the districts that will benefit from the project.

The state government has kept Rs 9,600 crore for the project in this year's budget.PTI SDA RDK

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)