Chandigarh, June 29 - An important agreement was signed between the Haryana and Rajasthan governments on Monday in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah regarding the construction and implementation of the Yamuna Water Project. Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil and senior officials of the Central Government and State Governments were present on this occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said that with this agreement, the almost 3-decade-old problem related to water of the people of Haryana and Rajasthan has been solved today. He said that this agreement is a good example of the mantra of cooperative federalism given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This agreement is an example of how if the state takes forward the idea of ??cooperative federalism, then even a three-decade-old problem can be easily resolved.
Shri Amit Shah said that under the agreement signed today, about 580 MCM of water will be transported to Rajasthan from July to October through three underground pipelines through the Yamuna Canal. The diameter of these three pipelines is more than 3.6 meters, through which drinking water will be provided to the people of Haryana and Rajasthan states. The agreement has taken care of financial responsibility, cost sharing, water distribution and water release protocols and maintenance. This scientifically sound agreement has also included the operation of the infrastructure, maintenance, monitoring, transparency measures and dispute resolution process in a very good way.
The Union Home Minister said that the draft of this agreement prepared by Haryana, Rajasthan and especially the Central Water Commission will remain as a dispute-free agreement for many decades to come. He said that this problem was solved in a few days under the chairmanship of Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil. After this agreement, there will be a provision for supplying drinking water to Sikar, Churu and Jhanjhunu of Rajasthan as well as Bhiwani and Fatehabad areas of Haryana.
Mr. Amit Shah said that this agreement will help a lot in solving the water problem in Haryana and Rajasthan, especially Rajasthan. After this agreement, the water which was not being used for any purpose, now after this agreement, that water will be used to quench the thirst of the people and to increase the ground water level by collecting it in big tanks. Mr. Shah said that Haryana, Rajasthan and the Ministry of Jal Shakti have proved the message of cooperative federalism given by Prime Minister Modi in the true sense.
The project aims to transport the water of the Yamuna to Rajasthan through an underground pipeline from the Western Yamuna Canal. This will enable the state to properly utilise the water received under the 1994 Agreement on the Sharing of Usable Surface Waters of the Upper Yamuna Basin. The project will ensure continuous supply of water to the drought-prone and rain-fed areas of Rajasthan and will boost socio-economic development, benefiting lakhs of people.
The agreement will lay the foundation for the timely implementation of the project with the concerted efforts of the Central Government and the State Governments included in the agreement.