The much awaited Rs 1,85,000 crore (Rs 1,850 billion) river-linking programme is likely to begin with Ken-Betwa and Parbati Kalisindh-Chambal links covering Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Speaking to Business Standard, Minister for Water Resources Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the third project, which might be taken up after progress in the first two, would be the Mahanadi-Godavari link involving Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
The government has decided to take up the peninsular component of the river-linking project under which 16 links have been identified.
The Centre has circulated a draft memorandum of understanding to state governments and has held discussions for removing their apprehensions.
The MoU is being considered a tool for clearing political and inter-state hurdles in taking up the projects. It will also be an enabling instrument for conducting detailed project reports. The MoU will be followed by environmental studies after which the government will look for funds, along with commissioning DPRs.
"The basic issue is the consent of the parties involved. You cannot go in for signing the MoU until that is arrived at," said Dasmunsi. Officials said Uttar Pradesh had earlier expressed doubts on the draft but conveyed its willingness to sign the MoU, although it was yet to take a formal decision.
Madhya Pradesh had given its consent for the Ken-Betwa link at a three state meeting convened by Water Resources Secretary VK Duggal recently.
Another meeting on the Parbati Kalisindh-Chambal link is likely to be held later this month.
The Centre will also hold a meeting of the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in April to discuss the first two projects.
"I will meet the chief ministers bilaterally and then have a tripartite discussion," said Dasmunsi.
The government proposes to proceed with an infrastructure plan chalked out by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
The ministry of water resources has received feasibility reports for 14 links while Karnataka has not agreed on grounds of inadequate water.
The Ken-Betwa link will cover about 231 km. It will irrigate downstream of the proposed Daudhan dam, water short areas of Upper Betwa basin and also the enroute area covering 490,000 hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 7,000 hectares in Uttar Pradesh.
The feasibility study for Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link offers two alternatives. The first is a 226 km length canal, which will transfer water to provide enroute irrigation to 193,000 hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 0.25 lakh hectares in Rajasthan.
The other alternative is a link canal 243 km-long providing enroute irrigation to 172,000 hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 0.43 lakh hectares in Rajasthan.