PM Modi lays foundation for Ken-Betwa river link project to resolve Bundelkhand's water woes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai C. Patel, Union Ministers CR Patil and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and others at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Ken-Betwa River Link Project, at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday. December 25, 2024. | Photo credit: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (December 25, 2024) laid the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa river connection project in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, aimed at solving the water problems of the Bundelkhand region, spread over parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. . The project is estimated to cost around 45,000 crore.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Modi credited Dr BR Ambedkar's vision for India's major projects in the river valleys and accused the Congress of not giving due recognition to the architect of the Constitution.

The major river valley projects in India were based on the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Central Water Commission exists today because of the efforts of Dr. Ambedkar, but Congress never gave him credit for his water conservation efforts. No one was even allowed to know about it, Mr Modi said, amid the ongoing controversy over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr Ambedkar. The Congress had staged protests demanding the resignation of the Home Minister over the issue.

Who thought of a visionary water conservation plan? The truth has been suppressed. The true servant was forgotten so that the credit could go to one person. I tell you that after the country gained independence, the credit for India's foresight in water management and dam construction goes to Babasaheb Ambedkar, he said.

Mr. Modi said Congress governments in the past were adept at making announcements but had no intention of implementing these projects.

Read also | Congress expresses concern over impact of Ken-Betwa projects on environment, Samajwadi Party takes credit

He said the Ken-Betwa project would bring prosperity to the drought-prone Bundelkhand region. The people of Bundelkhand struggled for every drop of water, but previous governments failed to find any permanent solution to the water crisis. Even after seven decades of independence, inter-state disputes over river water persist, but no concrete efforts have been made to resolve them, Mr. Modi said.

When Atal [Bihari Vajpayee] His government was formed, it found a permanent solution through the river linking initiative and even started the work, but it was stopped after 2004. Today, Atal's dream is about to come to fruition. come true, he added.

Stretching between northern Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh, this partly hilly region has long suffered from droughts and water shortages, prompting residents to move to other cities to find work.

The Ken-Betwa River Linking Project is expected to meet the drinking and irrigation water needs of at least 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and various districts of Uttar Pradesh. The project also aims to produce more than 100 MW of hydroelectric power and 27 MW of solar power.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation for the Daudhan Dam Irrigation Project, which is expected to meet the irrigation needs of 11 lakh hectares of land in the region.

Mr. Modi also said that Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to currently carry out two river linking projects. Recently, the Prime Minister had also launched the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal river link project which stretches between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Apart from the Ken-Betwa project, the Prime Minister also virtually inaugurated a floating solar power project at Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, the first solar power plant in the state.

He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of 1,153 Atal Gram Seva Sadans and issued a commemorative stamp and coin in honor of former Prime Minister Vajpayee, on the occasion of his birth centenary.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Union Minister Jal Shakti CR Patil, Union Minister and former state CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP chief of State and Khajuraho MP VD Sharma and other leaders were present in the ceremony.

Speaking about fears that the river link project could harm the animals of the Panna Tiger Reserve, Mr. Modi said the animals of the reserve would be kept in mind while constructing the canal for the project.

The Congress, however, claimed that the river link project posed a serious threat to the biodiverse Panna Tiger Reserve.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said in an article X that the project would submerge more than 10 percent of the core area of ​​the tiger reserve.

Not only will the favored habitats of tigers, but also those of other species such as vultures, be lost. The ecosystem will be divided. More than 23 lakh trees need to be felled. Construction activities will be a serious disruption. Three cement plants are planned, including one already in operation near the park. And there are questions about the basic assumptions about excess water itself, Mr. Ramesh said.

What is unfortunate is that there are alternatives to carry out the project (such as placing the dam upstream) without causing such significant ecological damage, he added.