Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh recently took the stand that the Ken-Betwa river linking project should be abandoned as it could spell disaster from the ecological point of view but the Madhya Pradesh minister for agriculture Ramkrishna Kusmaria thinks otherwise. According to him, the project would improve the ground water situation and help in improving the green cover. Recently, during his visit to the Panna Tiger Reserve, the environment minister had told a group of journalists that he would not allow the KenBetwa river linking project as it would lead to disastrous consequences. The state minister for agriculture, who represents the Patharia Assembly constituen cy in Damoh district, has countered Mr Ramesh by taking him head on over the KenBetwa river linking project and starting a debate on its impact on environment. He has made it categorically clear that more number of trees would be planted to offset the loss in the submergence area once this project takes off. This debate has signs of acquiring political overtones as those in the ruling BJP are gearing up to describe any move to shelve this project as anti-people and contrary to the interests of the farmers of Bundelkhand region. Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had hailed the river linking programme as