New Delhi, Nov. 1: The Centre today told the Supreme Court that a ?consensus group? to implement the Rs 500,000-crore project to network all rivers would be formed soon in consultation with the states.

In an affidavit filed before the division bench of Justices Y.K. Sabharwal and D.M. Dharmadhikari, solicitor-general G.E. Vahanvati said a recent meeting of the Prime Minister, the finance minister, the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and experts decided to ?pursue? the scheme. The focus, he added, would be on peninsular India and all states concerned would be consulted.

The meeting also decided to set up the ?consensus group?, the solicitor-general said.

As a first step, the Ken and the Betwa (Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) and the Parbati, the Kalisindhi and the Chambal (Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan) would be linked at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

The consensus group would try to resolve technical disputes involving Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and submit a report by mid-November.

Vahanvati, who filed a status report on the scheme before the court, said, all other states would be consulted ?soon? for the formation of the consensus group.

After taking on record the Centre?s affidavit, filed by the joint commissioner of the ministry of water resources, M.S. Gupta, the court said the case would resume in the ?last week of January (2005) or first week of February?.

The Centre would then have to file further information on the matter.

The government also said that the task force on river interlinking had its 16th meeting on October 5 and discussed the line of action to be followed.

?Political-level discussions? would be held with the states to draw up a memorandum of understanding so that detailed project reports could be prepared, the Centre told the apex court.

The solicitor-general did not detail the nature of the ?political discussions?.

The Union water resources ministry would also constitute a panel comprising environmentalists, social scientists and other experts, which would be involved in the project?s consultative process and in assessing its impact on environment and people.

The Supreme Court took the matter suo motu on the basis of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam?s speech a couple of years ago saying inter-linking rivers was the only solution in a country where one part has drought when the other is flooded.

The court had issued notices to all states, Union territories and the Centre and suggested sharing of expenses with a major share coming from the Union government.

China has already begun work on interlinking its rivers, which may choke the Brahmaputra. The Chinese project is likely to be completed in 2006 and India?s only by 2016.