Kishau Dam Project vital for Haryana, nearby states: CM Saini at Delhi meet

Chandigarh: During a high-level meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil in New Delhi on Wednesday, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini pushed for the construction Kishau Dam on the Tons river. The meeting was called to discuss key inter-state water resource issues involving Haryana and neighbouring states. Besides Saini, Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and senior officials from both states were also present. During the meeting, chief minister Saini raised several issues concerning water resources linked to Haryana, and stressed the urgent need to expedite the long-pending Kishau Dam Project. He urged the Centre to facilitate the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) among the participating states at the earliest. Responding to the request, Union minister Patil directed the secretary of the Jal Shakti Ministry to convene a meeting soon with officials from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan to discuss the project. He instructed officials to finalise issues related to water sharing and power generation from the dam on priority, following which a meeting of the chief ministers would be held to complete the MoU formalities. Calling the project vital for the region, chief minister Saini said the dam would ensure substantial water availability and provide benefits to all participating states. The Haryana chief minister also raised the issue of bringing water from the Upper Ganga Canal to the districts of Faridabad and Palwal. He sought intervention from the Union minister to speed up implementation of the proposed scheme. Discussions were also held regarding a ₹2,000 crore project aimed at supplying water from the Munak Canal to Gurugram and Nuh districts. Union minister Patil assured all possible support for the project. MSID:: 131067283 413 |