HYDERABAD: Union minister for water resources Salman Khurshid on Thursday clarified that the Centre has no problem in according national status to Polavaram project. Some minor environmental problems were holding up clearance for the project, he said and pointed out that the Union environment ministry was trying to address them.The Union minister was speaking to newsmen after inaugurating a workshop on ‘National Water Policy’ with the elected representatives of panchayati raj institutions, organised by the Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute (Walamtari) here on Thursday. “I am in touch with Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh. We are working on a fast track to see how it can be done. I cannot put a deadline to it. He (Ramesh) is an MP from your state and has promised that it will be done very soon,” he said.Asked about the demand for giving national status to Pranahita-Chevella project, he said it was under examination.The meeting was attended by representatives of panchayati raj institutions from Andhra pradesh, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is the first in the series of meetings proposed to be held at Shillong, Pune, Jaipur and Bhubaneswar soon. Addressing the participants at the meeting, the Union minister called upon the elected representatives of the Panchayat Raj Institutions to provide specific feedback on the Centre’s role in water management from conflict resolution to co-operative development and on the ownership issue of groundwater.
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