New Delhi, Tamil Nadu Finance and Public Works Minister O. Panneerselvam on Monday urged the central government to start the work of interlinking the peninsular rivers immediately.

"It is our earnest request that work at the ground level be started immediately to interlink the peninsular rivers," he said at the fifth meeting of the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers held here.

He said action may be taken to commence forthwith the ground work for the speedy implementation of the interlinking of rivers project, particularly the peninsular component of the Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link system and the Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar link so that the people of Tamil Nadu are benefited.

Panneerselvam said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is of the firm view that in the interlinking projects, the rights of use of water flowing from the existing Inter State Agreements should not be disturbed and that the aim should be to increase the availability of water to the deficit states like Tamil Nadu.

The minister said Tamil Nadu's long standing demand for diversion of about 22 tmcft of water of the west flowing rivers of Pamba and Achankovil (both in Kerala) to Vaippar Basin in Tamil Nadu, to benefit the southern districts, should be implemented expeditiously, since the feasibility has already been established.

(IANS)