Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today took up the issue of water sharing at Yamuna -Okhla Barrage with his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Akhilesh Yadav.
During a meeting with the UP chief minister here, Hooda demanded that Haryana should get its due share of water.
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of a high-level bridge on Yamuna river connecting Bilaspur-Khojkipur Road in Panipat district of Haryana and Tanda Kurdi-Nangal Sai Mandir- Chhaproli Barot Road in Uttar Pradesh.
The MoU was signed by Principal Secretary, PWD Haryana, Sanjeev Kaushal and his UP counterpart Rajnish Dubey in the presence of both Chief Ministers.
Welcoming the UP Chief Minister, Hooda said the two states are like brothers and this bridge will further strengthen this relationship.
Hooda raised the issue in the interest of the state, saying the water would help the government in ensuring adequate supply to Faridabad, Palwal, Mewat and Gurgaon districts for irrigation purpose.
He stressed that Haryana should be given its due share of water through Agra Canal and Gurgaon Canal so that the farmers get adequate water for farming.
Hooda also drew Yadav's attention to pollution in water from UP, especially in Faridabad, and suggested steps to minimise the pollution level as its contamination was effecting livestock and crops.
Yadav said issues of mutual interest to the two states would be resolved through dialogue, thus benefiting farmers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
He said the bridge will improve connectivity between both the states and both governments will work together to redress grievances of people in both the states. Concerted steps will be taken to complete the bridge ahead of schedule in October, 2017.
