Pancheshwar project will be completed in ten years: Uma Bharti

Surat: Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti Friday expressed confidence that the Pancheshwar project to link Sharda river in Nepal with Yamuna and then with Sabarmati in Gujarat will be completed in ten years.

Several other Inter-linking of Rivers (ILR) projects were moving at fast pace and would be completed in six years, she told reporters here.

"Recently when our Prime Minister was in Nepal, he signed an MoU for the Pancheshwar link project under which we intend to link Sharda with Yamuna. The waters would ultimately reach Gujarat via Rajasthan. It will be completed in ten years if everything goes as per the plan. There is no shortage of funds for this project," said Bharti.

"Of the total 31 ILR projects, three are about to take off: Par-Tapi-Narmada, Damanganga-Pinjal and Ken-Betwa. We have already started working on Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for these projects," she said.

"If we don't face any hurdles, we intend to finish these projects in six years. There is another project to link rivers of Gujarat, MP and Rajasthan... My ministry has already started discussions with Rajasthan and MP," said Bharti.

"The (river linking) project was initiated by (former Prime Minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But nothing was done in last ten years. As soon as Modi came to power, we have started working on it... It would be considered one of the greatest achievements our country," Bharti said.

"The Par-Tapi-Narmada and Damanganga-Pinjal projects are inter-related. The first aims to provide excess water of Tapi river to Maharashtra. Similarly, Gujarat will get benefit of (excess water of) Maharashtra's Damanganga river.

"Congress created unnecessary controversy about these projects. They are in the interest of two states. I have already talked with Maharashtra CM in this regard, now I will talk with the Gujarat CM," she said.