<p>Both the Congress-led UDF government and CPI-M led LDF Opposition in Kerala today came out against the Supreme Court directive to the Centre to implement the river-linking project, holding that such a scheme was deterimental to the state's interests.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Kerala had opposed the scheme when it was mooted by NDA government headed by A B Vaypayee and there was no change from that position, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting here.<br /><br />However, Chandy made it clear that the apex court order was not applicable to Kerala and it was relevant only to those states that had agreed on river-linking scheme.<br /><br />"We had opposed the idea of river interlinking from the beginning itself and so the court order will not have any bearing on the state", Chandy said.<br /><br />He said Kerala would not agree to the river-linking scheme as it was "harmful" to the state's interest.<br /><br />Opposition CPI-M leader V S Achuthanandan termed as `unfortunate' the Supreme Court directive on river interlinking case saying it would "hurt" the state's interests.<br /><br />"If the waters in Pampa and Achankovil rivers are diverted to Vypar as proposed in the project, the ecological system of central Travancore would be destroyed," he told reporters.<br /><br />He said if the proposal was carried out it would seriously affect agriculture in Kuttanad and sound the death-knell for Vembanad lake. Studies by national and international experts on river-interlinking in Kerala had clearly said that it would amount to `killing' the state, he contended.<br /><br />Achuthanandan asked Kerala government to consider filing a review petition before the Supreme Court and requested the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene.</p>
<p>Both the Congress-led UDF government and CPI-M led LDF Opposition in Kerala today came out against the Supreme Court directive to the Centre to implement the river-linking project, holding that such a scheme was deterimental to the state's interests.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Kerala had opposed the scheme when it was mooted by NDA government headed by A B Vaypayee and there was no change from that position, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting here.<br /><br />However, Chandy made it clear that the apex court order was not applicable to Kerala and it was relevant only to those states that had agreed on river-linking scheme.<br /><br />"We had opposed the idea of river interlinking from the beginning itself and so the court order will not have any bearing on the state", Chandy said.<br /><br />He said Kerala would not agree to the river-linking scheme as it was "harmful" to the state's interest.<br /><br />Opposition CPI-M leader V S Achuthanandan termed as `unfortunate' the Supreme Court directive on river interlinking case saying it would "hurt" the state's interests.<br /><br />"If the waters in Pampa and Achankovil rivers are diverted to Vypar as proposed in the project, the ecological system of central Travancore would be destroyed," he told reporters.<br /><br />He said if the proposal was carried out it would seriously affect agriculture in Kuttanad and sound the death-knell for Vembanad lake. Studies by national and international experts on river-interlinking in Kerala had clearly said that it would amount to `killing' the state, he contended.<br /><br />Achuthanandan asked Kerala government to consider filing a review petition before the Supreme Court and requested the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene.</p>