The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government will finish the ambitious Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) within five years once the work begins after the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR), said union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
“Even after the agreement between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the opposition is doing politics. (The former chief minister Ashok) Gehlot made every possible effort to ensure that ERCP does not come to the ground. However, we have fulfilled our promise over ERCP within a month after coming to power. The BJP is also committed to finishing the project within five years,” said Shekhawat while addressing media persons on Sunday.
A tripartite MoU was signed on January 28 in New Delhi for preparation of joint DPR of the project between the Centre, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh governments.
ERCP is an ambitious project of over ₹40,000 crore which will help augment irrigation facilities in an area of around 2 lakh hectares in 13 districts of Rajasthan namely Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Dhaulpur, Bharatpur, Dause, Alwar, Jaipur and Ajmer in eastern Rajasthan.
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The project was conceptualised by the BJP government led by former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in November 2017, and submitted a DPR of ERCP for techno-economic appraisal to CWC.
The project since then couldn’t get status of national project as it was planned on 50% dependable yield against the established norm of 75% dependability.
After six years, an MoU was inked on January 27 between Union Jal Shakti minister Shekhawat, chief minister of Rajasthan Bhajanlal Sharma and chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Mohan Yadav.
Taking a dig at the former Gehlot-led Congress government, he said, “The ERCP project that the Congress planned to make at their own cost following the disagreement between two states was only aimed at providing drinking water. The modified project will now provide irrigation water along with drinking water at 21 districts of the state under the new district divisions.”
On December 13, 2022, the proposal to integrate Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link Project with ERCP was approved by the central government as a priority link project.
According to the latest MoU, Ramgarh Barrage, Mahalpur Barrage, Navnaira Barrage, Mej Barrage, Rathore Barrage, Dungri Dam, feeder system from Ramgarh Barrage to Dungri Dam, capacity enhancement of Isarda Dam and rehabilitation of 26 pre-built dams included in the East Rajasthan Canal Project will be done.
Shekhawat also declared that the state will be provided with 90% of the total expense of the project instead, according to the new MoU as it is now part of the interlinking of rivers project of the union government against the 60% baring of the cost under the national project status which was demanded by the Congress government.