No Flow Area

The river-linking project pushed with considerable enthusiasm by the Vajpayee government has come to a virtual standstill. The task force set up under Suresh Prabhu has been dismantled and converted to a cell functioning under the water resources ministry. According to sources, there’s no move to shift the project into gear for now. "It will take a long time, the linking of rivers is not seen as a priority area by the present government." The cell has been entrusted with the task of preparing a detailed project report, which should take "considerable time". The Manmohan Singh government feels that such projects can only be embarked upon if the various affected state governments give their consent. Predictably that tide has shifted, and consensus is lacking at present.