Chief secy told to submit report on feasibility of 'Pathala Gange'

Minor Irrigation Minister T B Jayachandra on Tuesday said Chief Secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia has been directed to submit a report on the pros and cons of a proposal to extract water from underground rivers by going in for deep, subterranean exploration.

The project titled “Pathala Gange” proposes to locate underground hydrological resources hundreds of feet below the ground using deep-drilling expertise to extract water. It is proposed to set up 10 such units at different locations in the state, each costing Rs 12.48 crore.

However, the project has met with opposition from various quarters. Jayachandra said the government will take a final decision whether to go ahead with the project only after receiving the report. He said the government has released Rs 30 crore for taking up “cloud seeding” in the state.

Suresh Kumar’s letter
State BJP spokesperson and MLA S Suresh Kumar has written to the state government to immediately drop the proposal of deep drilling.

In a letter to Rural  Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil, who has initiated the Pathala Gange project, Kumar has stated that the project will disturb the ecological balance and goes against nature. Several geology experts and environmentalists had corroborated this view.

The BJP leader has stated that if the government goes ahead with the project, then it will have to face public opposition similar to the one it faced with regard the steel flyover project in Bengaluru.