Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the Godavari-Cauvery-Gundar river linking project on a fast track basis and demanded that the project be declared as of “national importance.”
Requesting the PM for the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle with participation of the Centre and the beneficiary states, Vijay said, “Its early execution would benefit the people and farming communities of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.”
Godavari-Cauvery-Gundar river linking project
Vijay pointed out that the most sustainable means of addressing the growing water requirements would be implementation of the project as it would facilitate the transfer of surplus floodwaters from water-surplus basins to water-deficit regions.
He underlined that the Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts are chronically water-scarce and highly drought prone areas.
In a letter to Modi on Thursday, Vijay said the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has prepared the Detailed Project Report for the Godavari-Pennar-Palar-Vellar link as Phase I of the larger project.
Vijay requested Modi to direct the Union ministry of Jal Shakti and the NWDA to expedite consultations with the stakeholder States and facilitate an early consensus on outstanding issues.
{{/usCountry}}Vijay requested Modi to direct the Union ministry of Jal Shakti and the NWDA to expedite consultations with the stakeholder States and facilitate an early consensus on outstanding issues.
{{/usCountry}}He appealed to the Prime Minister to finalise the Detailed Project Report for extending the link up to the Kattalai Barrage across the river Cauvery (in Karur district) as the current project layout terminates few kilometres upstream of the Cauvery river.
The chief minister suggested consider establishing a dedicated special purpose vehicle (SPV) for a coordinated and time-bound execution.
He noted that the state government is fully committed to extend its cooperation for the successful implementation of the project.
CM seeks release of 11 fishermen held by SL
Meanwhile, in another letter to the external affairs minister S Jaishankar, the chief minister said 11 fishermen from Ramanathapuram district along with their mechanised fishing boat were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy, on Thursday.
As the boat run aground due to a “mechanical failure” near the shore of Neduntheevu, he said, “the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended the fishermen along with the boat for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line.”
Describing that the recurring arrest of fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy causes deep anguish among the fishing community, Vijay requested Jaishankar to take up the matter with Sri Lanka through appropriate diplomatic channels and facilitate the early release of the fishermen along with their boat.
He reiterated the early revival of the bilateral dialogue through Joint Working Group would only help to address these issues.