Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said the Mad♕hya Pradesh government’s consent is not required for executing the🅷 Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, citing a decision of an interstate board way back in 2005.
Gehlot said he talked to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shiv🍸raj Singh Chauhan over the phone after which his counterpart agreed to meet him to build a consen🃏sus over the issue.
The 🉐development comes days after the Centre directed to stop the project, citing the lack of consentℱ from other states.
Rajasthan’s Congress government has been long demanding that it be given the status of a national🎃 project as the canal will benef🐷it 13 districts facing scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation purposes.
Gehlot tweeted that the project will receive water from tributaries of the Chambal river in Rajasthan and𒁃 use less than 10 per cent of t🍌he water flowing from Madhya Pradesh.
"Therefore, as per a decision taken in 2005, the consent of Madhya Pradesဣh is not required for such projects," he tweeted on Tuesday citing the decౠision taken by a Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh interstate board.
"In the past, Rajasthan also did not ꧟object to the projects constructed by Madhya Pradesh on the Chambal and tributaries like thi⛎s," Gehlot said.
"Similarly, the cooperation of Madhyꦬa Pradesh is expected on the ERᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚCP," Gehlot added.
Earlier, the Rajasthan gꦗovernment had said Madhya Pradesh's objection to the project was baseless.
The Rajasthan government said it prepared a de🃏tailed project report in accordance with the decision taken by the interstate board and in compliance with the 2010 guidelines of the Central Water Commission.
The project aims at harv💮esting surplus water available during the rainy season in the Chambal and its tributaries Kunnu, Parvati and Kalisindh, and use it in 13 districts where there is a scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation purposes.
Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, 𓆏Alwar, B𒁃haratpur, Dausa and Dholpur are the districts that will benefit from the project.
The state government has kꦐept Rs 9,600 crore for the project in this year's budget.
(with inputs from PTI)
