NEW DELHI, April 21 — In a development having wider ramifications for Assam, the Central Government, as part of its broader plan on inter-linking major river basins under Himalayan Component of National Perspective, envisages inter-linking of major tributaries of Brahmaputra river with Teesta and Ganga. Divulging this, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Bijoya Chakraborty in a written reply in Lok Sabha said that according to the feasibility studies carried by National Water Development Agency (NWDA), Manas and Sankosh, both tributaries of river Brahmaputra, are proposed to be linked with Teesta and Ganga link. This would be taken as Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga link.
The pre-feasibility studies carried out by NWDA envisage irrigation benefits to the States of Assam, West Bengal and Bihar besides hydropower benefits and navigation facilities between Manas and Mahananda barrage, the Minister said. National Perspective Plan for transferring water from water surplus basins to water deficit areas was prepared in 1980. NWDA set up in 1982 as an autonomous body to carry out water balance and other studies and prepare feasibility reports.
Meanwhile, in a separate reply to a question in the Lower House, the Minister claimed that 80 per cent of the first phase of the scheme to save Dibrugarh town ‘Avulsion of Brahmaputra at Dholla Hathiguli’ has been completed. Brahmaputra Board is executing the first phase, which is estimated to cost Rs 10.47 crore.
The Ministry of Water Resources has in part cleared a State Government-sponsored proposal ‘Protection of Rohmaria area from Erosion of Brahmaputra at Upstream of Dibrugarh town’, estimated to cost Rs 404.72 crore. The project studied and cleared by the Central Water Commission (CWC) was referred back to Assam Government for compliance, Chakraborty said.
The Ministry of Water Resources has cleared Rs 7.5 crore for the first phase during the last financial year. Further, course of action including taking up of the scheme prepared by Government of Assam would be chalked out after findings of the model studies by CWPRS, Pune from the whole reach from Hathighuli to Dibrugarh town as well as the effect of the Scheme at Hathiguli, the Minister said.