Sonia Gandhi writes to Prakash Javadekar on Ken-Betwa Project

12 Apr 2021 CW Staff

Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written to Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar, asking him not to implement the Ken-Betwa river linking project, citing concerns of a threat to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress President noted that the Panna Tiger Reserve had been revived with great difficulty and is now considered an example of translocation and successful breeding.

The river-linking project now threatens the tiger reserve, and the state government's estimate is that around 40% of the area of the tiger reserve will be irretrievably damaged, Gandhi stated in her letter, pointing that around 18 lakh trees would be removed from the submergence area.

Last month, the Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat signed a tripartite agreement with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of World Water Day to start the work on India's first major river interlinking project that will connect the Ken and the Betwa Rivers.

The memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed almost 18 years after the project's idea was conceived due to disagreement between the two states over sharing of water.

A 73.8 m high dam proposed on Ken at Daudhan in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district. Both of the rivers are rain-fed and flow into the Yamuna. The project, which is estimated to take eight years to complete, has an estimated cost of Rs 35,111.24 crore.

The project was conceptualised in the 1980s, but the water-sharing agreement could not be reached between the two states. The work on the project was originally slated to begin in 2015 but only got a fresh push last year with the government making a revised deal with the two states.

Image Source

Also read: Ken-Betwa interlinking dam to wait longer

Infrastructure Transport

30 May 2026

Chembur Metro to Boost East Mumbai Links

MMRDA is advancing eastern Mumbai’s urban mobility network, with the upcoming Chembur Metro Station set to emerge as a key interchange and the Mumbai Monorail preparing for relaunch.Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, conducted a site visit to Chembur Metro Station along with Kanhuraj Bagate, Managing Director, MMMOCL. He also visited the nearby VN Purav Monorail Station to review system preparedness and ease of interconnectivity.Once operational, the interchange is expected to offer commuters across the eastern suburbs quicker access, smoother transfers and seamless conne..

Herrenknecht TBMs Drive Thane–Borivali Tunnel Progress

Herrenknecht India has supplied two of the four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) required for the 11-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel Project being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The project is expected to reduce travel time between Thane and Borivali from 60–90 minutes to around 15 minutes while easing congestion across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.The first two Single Shield TBMs, named Nayak and Arjuna, feature 13.34-m cutterhead diameters and are designed for hard-rock excavation. They will be deployed to tunnel through the challenging geological..

KBL Launches Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set

Kirloskar Brothers (KBL) has launched its Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set, an integrated fire protection solution designed to improve operational efficiency, remote monitoring and installation flexibility. The system was inaugurated by Ms Madhuritai Misal, Hon. Minister of State for Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra.The Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set is a factory-tested, pre-packaged solution that combines FM/UL-certified motor and engine pump sets with IoT-enabled remote monitoring. Designed to deliver a flow rate of 170 m³/hr at a head of 100 metres, the system aims to provide..