New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- Bihar and Jharkhand on Monday signed an agreement to share the waters of the Sone River, resolving a dispute between the two states that had remained unsettled for nearly 25 years.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation minister Amit Shah. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Union Home Secretary and senior officials of the Centre and both states attended the event.
Shah described the agreement as a landmark settlement of the long-standing water-sharing issue in eastern India. He said the arrangement would facilitate irrigation for lakhs of farmers in Bihar and Jharkhand while also helping meet drinking water requirements.
In Bihar, the agreement is expected to benefit Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Patna districts. Palamu and Garhwa districts in Jharkhand will also receive water for irrigation and drinking purposes.
Shah said the agreement demonstrated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Team Bharat" and the principle of cooperative federalism. He said disputes between states, irrespective of how long they had persisted, could be resolved through dialogue and cooperation when the larger interests of the country were kept in mind.
He said the Sone water-sharing pact was the fourth major inter-state water agreement reached this year with the assistance of the Inter-State Council.
On July 7, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reached an agreement concerning pending dues linked to the Sardar Sarovar Project.
On June 29, Rajasthan and Haryana agreed to implement the Yamuna Water Project. On June 16, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan reached a consensus on the Kishau Dam Project.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.