“A draft Cabinet note on the Ken-Betwa river link project (KBLP) has already been circulated and all clearances for phase one are over,” Minister of State for Water Resources Sanjiv Balyan informed the Lok Sabha during Question Hour on Thursday.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted the project work to be started early.

“On the basis of recommendations of the Forest Advisory Committee, the Centre has granted the approval of Stage-I Forest Clearance for KBLP Phase-I vide MoEF&CC letter dated 25 May, 2017,” Balyan said, adding that the Madhya Pradesh government had, however, wanted the phases one and two to be implemented together. “But, phase two formalities are not over as yet,” he said.

Replying to a query, Balyan said that about 9,000 hectares would be submerged (out of which 4,141 hectares is forestland in the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh), but 6,000 lakh hectares would be irrigated.

Later, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti informed the House that the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh needed to work out a water-sharing agreement to take the project forward. “The implementation of KBLP would be taken up once the two states have reached an agreement on water sharing,” she said. Bharti said the project would displace about 7,000 households, but 70 lakh people would benefit and 6 lakh hectares would be irrigated annually in both States. “The 7,000 households are happy to leave their homes,” for larger benefits, she added.

The status of the project was reviewed at a high-level meeting on July 4, with top officials of both State governments where the MP government proposed that the Kotha barrage, Bina complex and Lower Orr Dam be included in the project.

While the Lower Orr project is being examined by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Bina Complex is under CWC appraisal and the DPR of Kotha barrage has been submitted to CWC.