Mysuru: The diversion of excess flow of water from the Mahanadhi and Godavari rivers to the Cauvery River under the ‘Peninsular River Development Plan’ will end the century-old fight between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for sharing Cauvery water and this would bring about the peace between the people of these two States.
Now-a-days, many organisations and individuals are urging the Central Government to link rivers and it seems the time has come to implement the project, said Prof. K. M. Jayaramaiah, Non-official Member, Karnataka Lake Protection and Development Authority.
In a letter to Karnataka Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, he has urged him to impress upon Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari to implement the ‘Peninsular River Development Plan.’
The time has come to implement the project as the Government of India has announced Rs.5.5 lakh crore scheme to connect some of the country’s biggest rivers and this ambitious project has been launched to end deadly floods and droughts, he has stated in the letter.
He has asked Patil to see that the work to get 150 TMC feet of excess water from Mahanadhi and Godavari to Cauvery River begins at the earliest.
If the project is implemented, then the need to oppose the Supreme Court’s order asking the Central Government to form the Cauvery Water Management Board will not arise, said Prof. Jayaramaiah in the letter.
It will be in the interests of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu if the two States prevail over the Union Government to include Cauvery river under the scope of the Peninsular river development plan being undertaken at a mammoth cost of over 5 lakh crore Rupees. If about 150 TMC of water from the Mahanadi and Godavari is made to join and flow into River Cauvery the unseemly century old fight for their increasing share of the River water will be over greatly benefit the people of Southern India as a whole.