Ruling Congress workers staged demonstrations in 13 districts of Rajasthan on Wednesday demanding national project status for the proposed Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which stipulates the transfer of excess water from the Chambal river basin to the regions facing water scarcity. The project’s estimated budget is to the tune of ₹40,000 crore.
The protesters alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had betrayed the people of the State after promising to declare the ERCP a national project during his rallies before the 2018 Assembly election. The Congress government here has reminded Mr. Modi of his promise several times, while pointing out that the project would facilitate solution to the water scarcity issue in eastern and south-eastern districts at least till 2051.
Effigies burnt
Protests were staged in Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur, where a population of 3.5 crore is set to benefit from the ambitious project. The protesters also burnt the effigies of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who represents the Jodhpur constituency in the Lok Sabha, and demanded his resignation.
The ERCP came into limelight recently following a war of words between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Mr. Shekhawat on the matter. Mr. Gehlot targeted Mr. Shekhawat over the ERCP, saying he was not doing anything for Rajasthan despite being a Union Minister. He also accused the Union Minister of being involved in an attempt to topple his government two years ago.
The ruling Congress has been pitching for the national project status from the BJP-ruled Centre maintaining that the huge project cost could not be borne by the State government alone. Mr. Shekhawat, on the other hand, denied that the Prime Minister had ever promised to declare the ERCP a project of national importance during his election rallies in Rajasthan.
“Why this discrimination?”
Mr. Gehlot said on Wednesday that when as many as 16 projects in other States could be declared national projects, it was beyond everyone’s comprehension why the ERCP was not being given the status. “Why is the Union government discriminating against Rajasthan?” Mr. Gehlot asked in a tweet.
The Chief Minister said Mr. Shekhawat was “rubbing salt on the wounds” of the people by saying that the Prime Minister did not utter a word about the ERCP during his Ajmer election meeting. Mr. Gehlot affirmed that Mr. Modi had clearly stated that 40% of the people living in 13 districts would get sweet drinking water and farmers would get irrigation waters from the ERCP.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra said that while 40% of the State’s population was waiting for fresh water, the Union Jal Shakti Minister was deceiving the people. He said the Narendra Modi government was ignoring Rajasthan on the ERCP despite the lack of rivers flowing through the State and the falling groundwater levels.
The ERCP, which will be a major initiative for interlinking of Parvati, Kali Sindh and Chambal rivers, is expected to supply drinking water to 13 districts and irrigation water to an additional command area of two lakh hectares. It will also facilitate restoration of dependable yield of the existing 26 major and medium irrigation projects en route — reduced to 30% — to their original status.
