Decks clear for river linking project

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been able to clear deadlock between the Union Water Resources ministry and Madhya Pradesh government after the latter’s last minute demands to tweak Phase-I of the ambitious Ken-Betwa river linking project involving an investment of Rs.16,000 crore. India’s first river linking project, connecting the Ken River in MP with Betwa in Uttar Pradesh, is all set to get cabinet approval and after that the construction work of the project will start on priority basis. The MP government wrote to the Centre demanding a review of the water sharing pact signed in 2005 between MP, UP and the Union water resources ministry demanded the inclusion of new components of the Phase-I of the project.