>The same report as seen in THe Assam Tribune tells a different tale. Which is correct?
Which one do you want to believe/trust, C'da? Why shouldn't you cherry-pick as usual? :):)
--Ram
On 1/31/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
The same report as seen in THe Assam Tribune tells a different tale. Which is correct?
UPA likely to take up river-linking project
From Our Staff Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 30 - The much-hyped river inter-linking project may not be put in the cold storage by the UPA Government, with the newly-inducted Minister of Water Resources, Prof Saifuddin Soz today maintaining that the project was achievable. Talking to newsmen soon after joining his new assignment Soz, however, played safe on most of the contentious issues. On the river-linking project, the minister said efforts were needed and it was possible to connect some rivers.
Referring to the differences between the States over the issue, Soz said that he proposed to open fresh negotiations with Chief Ministers of the State to work out a solution to connect the rivers. "If need be I may even convene a meeting with the State Water Resources Ministers," he said, adding that dialogue was going to be the key word.
The Minister interestingly finds himself in an awkward position because when he was in the opposition, he happened to be bitter critic of the project. But today he rejected claims that inter-linking project was not achievable goal.
The river-linking project launched with much fan-fare by the previous NDA regime has been all but discarded by the UPA on the ground that it was unworkable. However, it was later decided to take up the Project phase wise, with peninsular component taking precedence over the Himalayan one.
Last year the project got a big boost when the Ken-Betwa River Link was signed between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the proposal is being prepared.
Meanwhile, Soz has turned down demand for payment of royalty for water. "It is not correct to ask for royalty on water," he said. The water after-all is for use within the country and resources should not get wasted, he argued.
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At 2:44 PM +0000 1/31/06, mediavigil wrote:Will not bring politics into water disputes
NEW DELHI: ``Dialogue is the only process. I am not going to bring
politics into the issue of resolving water disputes,'' said UnionMinister Saifudin Soz after taking charge of the Water Resources
Ministry here on 30 January.
In his interaction with mediapersons, he said one of his priorities
would be to hold a dialogue with States on the need for sharing riverwaters and intra-basin linking of rivers. ``As a parliamentarian I
thought the mammoth plan of rivers linking, as conceived by the
National Democratic Alliance Government, was not feasible. But I am
told that small links can be created and are being planned.''
The Minister said he would neither discriminate against any State nor
let his party affiliation come in the way of resolving issues. ``I am
not going to write to Chief Ministers. I will hold a dialogue with
them and try to bring relief on the negotiation table. After all this
is for the benefit of India.''
On the Parliamentary Committee's recommendation to integrate all
drinking water schemes under one Ministry, he said he would prefer
that. Mr. Soz was Minister of Environment and Forests in 1998-99.
Mr. Soz took over from Santosh Mohan Deb who was holding additional
charge of the Ministry after Priyaranjan Dasmunsi was shifted to
Parliamentary Affairs.The Hindu
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