NEW DELHI: The Union governments bid to resolve the inter-state tangle over the distribution of Yamuna waters has met with little success.

A joint meeting of the chief ministers and irrigation ministers of Haryana Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh and the Lt. Governor of Delhi held here on Friday under the chairmanship of water resources minister V C Shukla adjourned till January 20 without taking any concrete decision. On account of indisposition Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal could not attend the meeting.

Enquiries reveal that “within minutes of resuming talks tempers ran high.” Sensing the mood of political leaders attending the meeting Shukla called them in his committee room leaving the officers and engineers of Central Water Commission (CWC) out”.

Afier some discussions and heated exchanges it was unanimously agreed to refer the distribution of Yamuna waters to a tribunal to be appointed by the Union government.

While the drafting of terms of reference and deadline for the tribunal report were left to the Center the “status” of the tribunal was not. The draft would be circulated among concerned parties on January 20.

However delay in the distribution of Yamuna waters will not further delay the construction of Hatni kund barrage and Hemkun barrage above Tajewala.

While Hathnikund berrage is to replace the existing 100 years of Tajewala Headwork’s the Hethnikund berrage will help Delhi get more water for drinking purpose. It was also agreed in principle that Delhi should be allowed to construct channel to transport in share of Yamuna waters for drinking purpose.

Delhi demanded administration control of the Delhi semnt Western Yamuna Canal network to be handed over the union territory It is presently managed by Haryana

By the same logic Haryana irrigation and power minister S$ Surjewala demanded that the Haryana portion of Agra Canal be handed to Haryana

But again the UP government did not agree. It was left to be discussed by irrigation minister of two states.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 24, 1992