The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Rajasthan resolves to protect its share of water

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Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004

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Rajasthan resolves to protect its share of water

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, JUNE 28. An all-party meeting presided over by the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, today resolved to stand unitedly to protect the State's share in the inter-State river water treaties.

Convened in the wake of a resolution passed early this month by the Punjab Assembly saying that the State would not share the waters of its rivers with other States, the meeting, cutting across party lines, decided to take up the issue within and outside the State.

The meeting, attended by senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Indian National Lok Dal, proposed a meeting of an all-party delegation with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to discuss the issue.

Ms.Raje, who met Dr. Singh in Delhi early this week, had discussed with him the serious situation arising out of the threat to stop the waters of the Ravi-Beas rivers on which the Indira Gandhi Canal system in Rajasthan was fully dependent.

The political leaders, who included two former Chief Ministers, Shiv Charan Mathur and Jagannath Pahadia, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, B.D.Kalla, and the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party and MP, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi, also agreed upon bringing a resolution on the issue in the Rajasthan Assembly in the session beginning from June 30.

Addressing the meeting, Ms.Raje said she had sought the intervention of the Centre in sorting out the issue. "The Government would fight to protect the last drop of water in Rajasthan's share. Your overwhelming support has come as a big morale boost," she said. As per the 1981 inter-State treaty Rajasthan was accorded 8.06 million acre feet water from the Ravi-Beas, she noted.

Mr.Mathur on the occasion observed that the quantum of 8.06 maf was fixed for Rajasthan on the basis of an estimated total flow of 15.85 maf water. Now the State was being deprived of its allocated share, he noted. Mr.Kalla suggested an all-party committee to keep a watch on the decisions of the Bhakra-Beas Management Board, which controls the head works of the water system.

Senior Congress leader, Nawal Kishore Sharma, who called for an aggressive posture on protecting the rights of the State said the parties should rise above political considerations in safeguarding the interests of the State. Mr.Pahadia suggested setting up a screening committee by the Centre on the inter-state river water disputes. Former Minister, C.P.Joshi, said both administrative and legal steps would be needed to ensure a fair deal for the State.

Ms.Raje on the occasion directed the Principal Secretary, D.C.Samant, to prepare a draft resolution on the issue after holding consultations with the Advocate General and taking the concurrence of a group who included Mr.Mathur, Dr.Kalla, C.P.Joshi, the Irrigation Minister, Sanwarlal Jat, the Industries Minister, Narpat Singh Rajvi, CPI(M) leader, Sheopath Singh, the Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sriram Gotewala and BJP leaders, Devi Singh Bhati and Manackchand Surana.

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