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As the decades-old dispute linked to the Narmada river and long-pending issues related to the river project were resolved on Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hailed the development as a "win-win" proposition for four states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis credited Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil for the agreement to come to fruition. "There were several ongoing disputes regarding this Narmada project--specifically involving Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Discussions were held to resolve these disputes collectively, and today, we have successfully resolved them. We feel that the Home Minister and the Jal Shakti Minister played a pivotal role in this process." Detailing the conditions of the project, he said, "As a result, the substantial outstanding dues previously claimed against us have been waived; Maharashtra is now required to pay only Rs 27 crore, whereas earlier, claims amounting to Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 crore had been raised against us." "Maharashtra was entitled to receive 10 TMC of water, but due to geographical and topographical constraints, that water could not be delivered. Therefore, we proposed two alternative projects: one involving the diversion of 5 TMC of water, and another where securing 5 TMC from Ukai Dam would be beneficial to us. These proposals have received in-principle approval today," he added. CM Fadnavis hailed the announcement as an example of "cooperative federalism" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that "four states united to formulate a win-win proposition through today's meeting." This comes after the decades-old dispute linked to the Narmada River and long-pending issues related to the Narmada project were resolved on Tuesday with the signing of an agreement by all four concerned states--Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra-- in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah here in the national capital. The agreement was reached on the settlement of pending payment issues among the Narmada Award beneficiary states in the presence of Shah as well as Union Minister of Jal Shakti CR Patil, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav alongwith senior officials from the Central government and all these states. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, "This agreement marks a historic milestone in resolving the long-standing disputes among the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra relating to the cost-sharing arrangements for the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project."Under the agreement, the MHA said, the payments to be made towards the final settlement of pending dues have been resolved through a one-time settlement. Addressing the meeting, the Home Minister said that the issue of pending payments under the Narmada Award had remained unresolved among Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for a long time, and that it has been resolved amicably today. (ANI)
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