New Delhi: A meeting on Tuesday of the Upper
Yamuna Review Committee, responsible for ensuring better
utilisation of water among member states, was a tame affair
with four of the six chief ministers keeping away.
Except for Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and
her Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda, chief ministers
of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh
were not present in the meeting which was held after a gap of
five years.
The meeting should be held every year.
At the meeting, chaired by Water Resources Minister
Pawan Kumar Bansal, Dikshit asserted the need to build more
dams and control water pollution.
She said dams were essential to ensure the capital
received water for its people.
Haryana called for early construction of three storage
dams on river Yamuna at Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar Vyasi.
During discussions, Haryana also raised issue of
balance payment due from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi towards cost
of Hathnikund barrage.
The review committee of chief ministers was set up
following a Memorandum of Understanding between members of
Yamuna river basin states in 1994.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Bansal said
all the states discussed their issues and the solutions would
be provided soon.
"We will make an effort to hold this meeting at least
once in a year," he said.
PTI
