Gadkari favours comprehensive law on desilting of rivers

New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday favoured enacting a new law on desilting of rivers to prevent floods and said such a legislation will be drafted in consultation with states, according to an official statement.

The water resources minister also pitched for inter- linking of rivers to stave off floods. Around 100 districts of the country are deluge-prone, he said. "Gadkari has called for a new, comprehensive law on de- silting of rivers ... The minister said the law will be framed in consultation with states," the statement said.

The minister made the remarks at a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament on flood management.

Gadkari, who also holds road transport and shipping portfolios, was of the view that measures like inter-linking of rivers and construction of check dams should be given priority to mitigate flood fury, the statement said.

He stressed the need to improve and strengthen the flood forecasting network.

The members of Parliament who attended the meeting supported the measures taken by the ministry to manage floods, the statement said. Ministers of States for Water Resources Satya Pal Singh and Arjun Ram Meghwal attended the meeting.