Ken-Betwa project will launch once funding pattern is clear, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said
The Rs 9,393 crore Ken-Betwa project that will link rivers to ease drinking water woes of Bundelkhand region has received clearance from the green panel and Tribal Affairs ministry.
"I am quite happy that the first river inter-linking project has received green panel's nod as well as the tribal clearances formally. The project has already received wildlife clearance," said Ms Bharti.
Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said her ministry was working with NITI Aayog to finalise funding for the project.
"The project will be launched once the funding pattern is clear," she said at third edition of Jal Manthan conference here.
The environmental appraisal committee (EAC) had "duly considered" and "agreed" for the phase I of the project in its meeting held on December 30, 2016.
Under the project a dam will be constructed across river Ken in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh to irrigate 6.35 lakh hectares of land, serve drinking water purposes in Bundelkhand region and generation of 78 MW hydropower.
While 3.69 lakh hectares of land will be irrigated in Madhya Pradesh's Chattarpur, Tikamgarh and Panna districts, the remaining 2.65 lakh hectares of area falls in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba, Banda and Jhansi districts.
A total of 10 villages consisting of 1,585 families are likely to be affected by this project.
The project comprises two powerhouses of 2x30 MW and 3x6 MW each, two tunnels of 1.9 km long upper level, 1.1 km long tunnel lower level and a 221 km long Ken-Betwa link canal, proposed on the left bank of the river.
The ambitious project was first mooted by the NDA government in the early 1980s under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was then challenged in the Supreme Court, which finally gave the nod in 2013.
(with inputs from PTI)