Amid the reports of financial penalty over the violation of environmental issues pertaining to the construction of Lower Orr dam, the State Government has denied all such charges and asserted that there is no hurdle or issue at all. The work on country’s ambitious project Ken-Betwa River Linking Project has been going on at war footing. Exclusively talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Water Resources Minister Tulsi Silwat denied all such apprehensions and asserted speedy execution on the said project. He said that all formalities have been completed. There is no hurdle at all in Ken-Betwa river linking from environment point of view. Tenders for remaining work have been floated. Since it is going to benefit the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spread in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, we are trying to complete the project as soon as possible.”

 

The State Cabinet cleared a special package for rehabilitation and resettlement. The broad contours of this package include a payment of Rs 12.50 lakh per hectare of private land owned and Rs 12.50 lakh per hectare for those with titles on revenue or forest land a few months ago. A tender for Epc Execution of Ken-Betwa Link Project for planning, design and construction of Composite Dam on River Ken was floated by National Water Development Agency (NWDA) and further excavation is going on. The project is meant to transfer surplus water from the Ken basin in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River basin bordering Uttar Pradesh. Construction of dam on Orr river is a second phase of Ken-Betwa River Linking Project. The Lower Orr Project envisages providing irrigation and drinking water, on about 90,000 hectares, spanning the Shivpuri and Datia districts of Bundelkhand regions of Madhya Pradesh.

 

Despite announcement and approval of compensation to the affected villagers, There are reports of flawed land surveys and villagers have raised formal objections on undervaluation and have expressed concerns over their loss of livelihoods. They said that the package won’t sustain them in the long run. With this displacement, they will be out of their regular earning forest resources. Environmentalist and villagers expressed concern over the project. Environmentalists raised the issue of deforestation and altered fish population to ecological imbalances along with land acquisition and displacement of large population. It is being said that Daudhan dam will be a key component of the project. The Lower Orr project was not part of the original Ken-Betwa project and was included to appease Madhya Pradesh. With the completion of this project, perennial problem of drought in Bundelkhand regions could be solved to a greater extent, as it could irrigate drought-prone regions.