ERCP row: CM asks all parties to make efforts for national project status

The chief minister said said the ERCP is extremely important for ensuring the availability of drinking and irrigation water in 13 districts of the state

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) is beyond politics and all parties should make efforts for its national project status.

CM said the state government had written 11 letters to GoI demanding national status for the project. (File image)

However, soon after the all-party meeting, the BJP asked the government not to play politics on the issue.

Gehlot said the ERCP is extremely important for ensuring the availability of drinking and irrigation water in 13 districts of the state. “This issue is beyond politics. The government is not doing any politics. In the interest of the state, all the parties together should make efforts to declare it a national project. If the work is done by the state government with its limited resources, then it will take more time. The project will be completed on time only if the GoI supports,” he said while addressing the representatives of all political parties.

He said the state government had written 11 letters to the GoI demanding giving the project national status. Despite this, no response was received and when the action plan for ERCP was prepared by the state government from its own resources, the GoI wrote a letter to stop it. He added that the ERCP fulfils all the technical parameters.

Gehlot said that the present government is taking the project in the interest of the state, which was started in the previous BJP government. “We should move beyond politics. The state government is ready to send technical experts to the Centre for talks,” he said.

Rajasthan assembly speaker CP Joshi said that ERCP is very important for the success of Jal Jeevan Mission, failing which all the money will be wasted. The union Jal Shakti minister has an important role. He should use his powers in the interest of the state and get the rules amended to make up for the technical deficiencies. We sincerely hope that there will be relaxation in the rules. “A special session of the Legislative Assembly can also be called to discuss the project,” he said.

Water resources minister Mahendrajit Singh Malviya said to give impetus to the project, 86 officers have also been appointed. The objection being raised by the Madhya Pradesh government is baseless, there is no need to obtain a no objection certificate from them.

National Lok Dal representative and minister of state for technical education, Subhash Garg said that drinking water would be available to 40% of the state’s population through this project. He urged all the political parties to unite for the interest of the state.

CPI(M) MLA Balwan Poonia said a special session of the Legislative Assembly should be called and a decision on this should be taken unanimously.

Chief Engineer ERCP Ravi Solanki informed that the plan has been prepared as per the guidelines of the Central Water Commission. It is not necessary to take no objection from Madhya Pradesh in this. He said 20,000million cubic meters of water every year is wasted in the sea through the river Yamuna, whereas only 3,500million cubic meters of water is required in this scheme.

Deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said the project was prepared during the BJP government which aims to provide water to 13 districts. The state government should refrain from playing politics on such an important project and should have extensive discussions with the central government on the technical aspects of this ambitious project.

He said in the meeting it was accepted by the state government that till now out of the total 16 national water projects built in the country, none of the projects have been built on 50% water dependency. “The concept of ERCP started during the BJP regime and its DPR was also made in same the tenure. Therefore, to say that BJP does not want this project is completely untrue. We were in favor of this project yesterday as well and are today and will continue to do so,” he said.

On January 27, 2020, an objection was raised by chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, that the Rajasthan government has made the project on the basis of 50% water dependence. And that it is a violation of the Inter-State Water Agreement (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh).

Rathore said that the technical officers of the state say that this project is made under the rules. They should sit with the officials of the Central Water Commission and answer their technical questions. Whenever the officers of the state want to sit with the officers of Delhi, we will extend full cooperation to them for this.