KOTA: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Bundi, Kota and Baran districts, but bad weather led to the cancellation of his planned afternoon tour to Jhalawar. Speaking to the media, Gehlot lashed out at the Centre and repeated the demand for national project status to Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and questioned the delay in the Centre doing so. “What are the hurdles in declaring ERCP a national project? The (central) government must answer this,” he said.
The CM landed at Kota airport by helicopter at around 12:30pm and, after a brief interaction with the leaders and people assembled there, flew for an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Bundi and Kota districts. He was accompanied by UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal and area MLAs Ramnarayan Meena and Bharat Singh.
Gehlot then visited the shelters at a school in Nayapura area of Kota city. He interacted with the people shifted there and enquired of them about the facilities there.
Speaking to reporters about ERCP, Gehlot said the man who prepared the plan for it in the previous state government was now sitting in the central government as an expert. “Then what is the problem in it (declaring ERCP a national project)? It means there is politics on the issue as the government in the state changed now,” said Gehlot.
“ERCP was formulated in the regime of the popular CM Vasundhra Rajeji on the basis of an agreement between the governments of Rajasthan and MP in 2005 and the prime minister himself spoke of it. Then why is the project not being accorded national status?” asked Gehlot.
He further said: “Now look at the misadventure of the officials of the Centre. They wrote to the state to close the project. Who are they to ask us to close the project? My government has made a provision of Rs 9,000 crore for this project in the budget even though states are not financially sound. They cannot stop it.”
The CM appreciated the efforts of the administration, the Army, NDRF, SDRF and civil defence in the flood rescue operations that saved over 4,000 people and provided timely relief to the affected people in Kota. He said crops suffered considerable damage, houses collapsed at several places, and several villages were disconnected after being surrounded by flood water. A survey for the damage is underway and compensation and relief to the affected would be provided soon as per the norms, he added.
Kota district in-charge minister Prasadi Lal Meena, UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal, mining minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, MLA Ramnarayan Meena, Bharat Singh and several other Congress leaders were present with the CM on this occasion.
