Supreme Court nod on river interlinking

The Supreme Court Monday gave the green signal for implementing the ambitious project to interlink India’s rivers, saying it was in national interest.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia also constituted a high-powered committee headed by the water resources minister to work out the roadmap for the project.

The court said that the committee will meet at least once in two months and its recommendations will be considered by the cabinet within 30 days of receipt.

Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Swatanter Kumar said: “The project is in the national interest and we find no reason why any state or the centre would oppose this,” adding that it should be implemented as expeditiously as possible.

The project was concieved about five decades ago and received a boost in 2002 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as the prime minister, gave it a new thrust.