Dehradun, Sept. 16 -- Six states- Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi- on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project. Union home minister Amit Shah chaired the signing of the MoU at Kartavya Bhawan in New Delhi. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami described the signing as a "historic moment". "The project was originally conceived in 1940. Despite several efforts over the years, it could not make significant progress due to various reasons. Projects that remained pending for decades are now being fast-tracked under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. He also thanked Shah for a meeting on June 16 that he said helped pave the way to resolve critical hurdles facing the project. Officials said the agreement aimed to strengthen water security, power generation, irrigation and drinking water supply while contributing to the rejuvenation of the Yamuna River. The Kishau project is located on the Tons River, a primary tributary of the Yamuna, along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border. The project is expected to create a reservoir with a capacity of approximately 1,562 million cubic metres (MCM) and generate 422 MW of power. Its benefits are expected to extend across the Upper Yamuna Basin, covering Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. Dhami described the project as an example of cooperative federalism. He said construction "would involve significant challenges, including the rehabilitation of families affected by it"and stressed that ensuring fair, sensitive and dignified rehabilitation of affected families would remain a top priority for the state government. The chief minister said the project would require the transfer of approximately 2,500 hectares of forest land, necessitating a large tract of land for compensatory afforestation. He said making such a "large area available would be a significant challenge for Uttarakhand, given its mountainous terrain and extensive forest cover". He requested the Centre and all participating states to assist Uttarakhand in identifying land for compensatory afforestation. The project, he said, would give fresh impetus to irrigation, drinking water supply and power generation, besides aiding the Yamuna's rejuvenation....