Political slugfest as Ken-Betwa project takes off after decades

NEW DELHI: A political row erupted on Wednesday as Prime Miner Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa river linking project, with the Congress alleging it poses a serious threat to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh while the PM accusing the principal opposition party of ignoring Dr BR Ambedkar’s contribution to the development of water resources in the country. Prime Miner Narendra Modi during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ken-Betwa River Linking Project, in Khajuraho on Dec 25 (PTI/narendramodi.in) PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the project, which envisages to channel excess water from the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh into the Betwa, the first such initiative under the national river interlinking policy, during a function at Khajuraho in Bundelkhand region. “Today the PM is giving one more evidence of the difference between his ‘talk’ and ‘walk’ on environment and forest matters. The Ken-Betwa river linking project for which he is laying the foundation stone today poses a serious threat to the biodiversity-rich Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. Calling Panna “a most remarkable success story of revival”, the Congress communications in-charge said that early 2009 its tiger population had been completely wiped out. “But today thanks to the tiger reintroduction programme launched fifteen years ago – India’s first – presently Panna has around 90+ tigers (including cubs and sub-adults) and is thriving with sustainable tourism-based livelihoods,” he said. The former union environment miner alleged that the Ken-Betwa project will submerge over 10% of the core area of the tiger reserve. “Not only prime tiger habitats – but also those of other species like vultures – will be lost. The ecosystem will be bifurcated. More than 23 lakh (2.3 million) trees are to be felled. Construction activities will be a severe durbance,” the Rajya Sabha member added. He further said that three cement factories are being planned and one has already been commissioned in the vicinity of the park. There are questions on the basic assumptions of surplus water itself. “What is unfortunate is that there are alternatives for executing the project (like locating the dam upstream) without causing such extensive ecological damage,” the senior Congress leader said. Under the Ken-Betwa project, which is estimated to cost ₹44,605 crore, nearly 4.4 million people across 12 dricts of Madhya Pradesh and 2.1 million in 10 dricts of Uttar Pradesh will get drinking water. As part of the project, a 77-metre-high and 2.13-km-long Daudhan dam and two tunnels (upper level 1.9 km and lower level 1.1 km) will be constructed on the Ken river in the Panna tiger reserve. Responding to Ramesh’s remarks, Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai accused the Congress of doing “politics” over the issue. He also said that Madhya Pradesh is the only state where forest cover has increased 2%. “The government has also been increasing the tiger reserve area gradually and we are also taking care of our tigers and their population has been increasing. The Ken-Betwa project will give water to drought affected Bundelkhand region. Should we just leave them waterless? The BJP talks of Vikas and Virasat (development and heritage) and we always seek to strike a balance. However, the Congress only knows Siyasat (politics),” Bajpai said. In his address at the Khajuraho event earlier in the day, PM Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of short-changing citizens not building enough infrastructure and of ignoring Ambedkar’s contribution to water resources development in the country. His comments came at a time when opposition parties including the Congress are accusing Union home miner Amit Shah of belittling Ambedkar during a discussion in Parliament on 75 years of the Constitution. “Ambedkar’s vision and farsightedness contributed significantly to the strengthening of the country’s water resources, their management and dam construction. Ambedkar played a crucial role in the development of major river valley projects and formation of the Central Water Commission,” Modi said. “The Congress party never paid heed to the country’s growing need of water conservation, and never recognised Ambedkar’s efforts as a water conservation,” he said, alleging that the Congress ruled the country believing that governance was its birthright. “Where the Congress is, governance cannot happen,” he added. (With agency inputs)