Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh will take fresh initiatives to resolve their disputes over the control of canals and several dams. Apart from officer-level meetings, Chief Secretaries of both the states will hold meetings at the earliest possible dates.
Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and his UP counterpart Akhilesh Yadav held a joint meeting over the issue in Dehradun on Sunday.
Akhilesh, who arrived in Dehradun to attend a marriage ceremony, on Sunday evening held talks with the team of Uttarakhand officials in the presence of Harish Rawat. Later, both CMs jointly addressed the media.
“After becoming UP CM, Akhilesh has come to Uttarakhand for the first time. We held meeting to resolve the properties disputes between the two states,” Rawat told reporters. He also reminded Akhilesh that he is son-in-law of Uttarakhand.
Rawat further said that both the states will develop proper co-ordination between their police forces.
Akhilesh assured an officer-level meeting between the two states as soon as possible.
“Then, there will be meetings at the level of two state’s Chief Secretaries,” he said.
After becoming a separate state in the year 2000, Uttarakhand continues to demand control over different properties located in Uttar Pradesh.
UP has not even handed over the control of 41 canals whose heads and tales are located in Uttarakhand.
“Both the states have almost agreed to resolve the disputes relating to the control over the 41 canals. We will soon get control of the 41 canals from UP,” Uttarakhand irrigation minister Yashpal Arya told the IE.
According to him, there are other eight canals which remain under UP’s control in Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, UP government has been continuing to control the Bhimgoda dam in Hardwar. There is also Hardwar’s Alaknananda hotel which is under the control of UP tourism.
Other disputes are relating to the control over agricultural land in Hardwar. UP also control six dams located in Uttarakhand.
