The Central Water Commission can help Jharkhand and West Bengal to redo the 1973 water sharing agreement between the two states, Union minister Sanjeev Balyan has said.
The Minister of State for Water Resources said this in a letter to a BJP MP from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, who had raised in Lok Sabha the issue of review of the water sharing pact which was signed in 1973 by then united Bihar and West Bengal.
The agreement was signed for the sharing of waters of Damodar Barakar, Ajoy, Mayurakshi Sidheshwari Noon Beel and Mahananda river basins.
Jharkhand is not in favour of the agreement and has taken steps to review it.
"This is an injustice with Jharkhand as it stores waters of Massanjore dam which is built on Mayurakshi river. But most of its water is used by West Bengal and also 98 per cent of the power generated in it," Dubey said.
Similarly in case of Maithon and Panchet dams, both constructed on Damodar Barakar river basin, the water is stored in Jharkhand but used in West Bengal and also the electricity, he added.
All these rivers originate in Jharkhand but benefits are availed by the left-ruled neighbouring state, so the Centre must intervene, Dubey said.
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