6th Meeting of Steering Committee of Ken-Betwa Link Project held in New Delhi

The 6^th meeting of the Steering Committee of Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority was held on 19.07.2024 in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary (D/o Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti). It was attended by Shri Shirish Mishra, Engineer-in-Chief, D/o Water Resources, Madhya Pradesh and Shri Akhilesh Kumar Sachan, Engineer-in-Chief & HOD, D/o Irrigation & Water Resources, Uttar Pradesh, along with their teams; Field Director, Panna Tiger Reserve; Collector & DM, Panna. The meeting also saw participation of officers from NITI Ayog, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Finance, WII, NWDA, CWC, KBLPA and WAPCOS.

The Chairperson highlighted the importance of project for the Bundelkhand region and stressed for employing best practices in construction, so as to safeguard the interest of environment, biodiversity alongwith the community development. Ms. Mukherjee congratulated Government of Madhya Pradesh for timely transfer of land to the Forest Department as per condition of Stage-II Forest Clearance.

The Chairperson further requested Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for expeditious action for acquiring the land for the Link Canal. She directed to timely completion of all the left out DPRs. The Secretary told all the partners to work in unison, to have timely and projected benefits in all quarter.

The Chairperson discussed with the officials of Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) and Government of MP, on the planning and execution of Daudhan Dam in a timely manner. It was discussed that both the States may attach offices with the KBLPA on priority. Ms. Mukherjee asked WRD, MP, for effective implementation of resettlement and rehabilitation for betterment of Project affected Families. She again requested Forest Department to take action for compensatory afforestation, catchment area treatment especially during the ongoing Monsoon season. The Chairperson directed to ensure implementation of Integrated Landscape Management Plan with the coordination of all the stakeholders, so that all the measures are taken in a timely manner.