Solicitor General G E Vahanvati told a three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice D M Dharmadhikari and Justice P B Naolekar that the government in principle has decided not to go back to the river river-linking project.

The issue would be placed before the Indian cabinet in September for a comprehensive review of the Rs 500,000-crore project, Vahanvati added.

He said various reports on the project were being considered by the government and sought six weeks time to get back to the court.

Amicus Curiae Ranjit Kumar and Nikhil Nayar said the Task Force for implementation of the project, constituted on the direction of the apex court, was without a chairman for a long time since the resignation of Suresh Prabhu.

Kumar said the entire project has remained in a limbo since the new government in India has come to power and no Chairman of the Task Force has been appointed so far.

He said the Standing Committee of Water Resources Ministry has in a report proposed that the government give top priority to inter-linking of rivers in view of drought and floods faced by the country.