Jaipur, Feb 5 : Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said that the revised Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC)-Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) link project will prove to be a boon for 13 districts (new 21 districts) of Eastern Rajasthan.


He said that Rajasthan will get 3677 MCM water from the link project, which is more than the earlier ERCP (3510 MCM).

'Earlier it was an imaginary figure but now CWC has verified and decided the figure. Out of Rs 40,000 crore, only Rs 4,000 crore will be burdened on the state government. After the new MoU, 90 per cent of the cost of this project will be provided by the Central government,' he told media persons.

He said that -- in the project -- arrangements have been made for drinking water, industry and irrigation.

'I had hoped that after the agreement, the Madhya Pradesh government along with the Prime Minister, Union Water Power Ministry and Rajasthan would be appreciated, but far from being appreciated, the opposition is not desisting from doing politics,' he said.

Attacking the last Congress government, Shekhawat said that the PKC Inter Linkage of Rivers (ILR) project could not take shape due to the apathy of the Congress government of Rajasthan.

'Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot did politics. Politics was done over farmers' land. To fulfill his political aspirations, he used indecent words for the Prime Minister. Public has punished him for his sins during the last assembly elections,' he said.

Shekhawat said that the then Congress government had planned the Navnera-Galwa-Bisalpur-Isarda (NGBI) link to provide 525 MCM of drinking water to only 3 districts, Jaipur, Ajmer and Tonk.

'There was no irrigation component planned under this project. Ashok Gehlot made every effort to ensure that ERCP does not come to ground. He had ordered preparation of DPR of ERCP with 50 per cent dependency, which was not in line with the national project, as the project should have been planned with 75 per cent dependency as per national guidelines,' he said.

He said that even the then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath did not give the NOC for the project.

Shekhawat said that this link project will bring huge benefits to the GDP of Rajasthan. People's income will increase, migration will stop and possibilities will increase in these districts.

He said that this project will be completed in the next five years.

'It is our commitment that this project will be completed at any cost during the five-year tenure of our government. Rs 40,000 crore will be Rajasthan government's component, about Rs 25000 crore will be Madhya Pradesh's component, DPR is being prepared now,' he said.

/IANS