By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Nov: Even 26 years after the formation of Uttarakhand, the division of assets between Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh remains incomplete, with several important issues still awaiting resolution. Although a number of assets have been divided over the years, several others continue to remain pending. Periodic discussions and meetings between the two states have so far failed to bring about a comprehensive settlement, with representatives of the Uttarakhand Government, including the Chief Minister, ministers and senior officials, making repeated visits to Uttar Pradesh to pursue the matter.
In this regard, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Irrigation Minister Satpal Maharaj are likely to visit Uttar Pradesh shortly to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and discuss the outstanding issues relating to the division of assets according to official sources. The proposed visit is being considered significant, particularly in view of the pending transfer of land and buildings in three districts of Uttarakhand, besides the long-pending issue of the construction of the Iqbalpur canal system.
Irrigation Minister Satpal Maharaj shared that preparations are underway for the Lucknow visit. He also shared that for the discussion on pending assets division between the two states, a meeting with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had been sought. He added that he along with CM Dhami will visit UP shortly. A request has been made to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for an appointment. And discussion on all the outstanding issues relating to the division of assets. These include the barrage at Khatima, whose condition has deteriorated considerably and which has also completed its stipulated operational life. Besides this, discussion on the construction of a new barrage at Khatima will also be held.
Maharaj added that several other properties also need attention, as they are not being properly maintained and were vulnerable to encroachments. He said the proposed discussions would focus not only on the transfer of these assets to Uttarakhand but also on ensuring that they are protected from encroachment and their ownership issues were settled at the earliest.
Irrigation Department Principal Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram also confirmed that the proposed visit of the CM and the Irrigation Minister to Uttar Pradesh was under consideration. He said a meeting had been held with Cabinet Minister Satpal Maharaj to identify the issues that needed to be taken up with the Uttar Pradesh Government. He further added that there are several matters pending between Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. While some of these issues can be resolved relatively easily, others are more complicated and may require greater deliberations. The emphasis of the Uttarakhand Government is to identify the matters that can be settled without much difficulty and ensuring that they are resolved at the earliest.
Providing details of the pending division of assets, Irrigation Department Chief Engineer Subhash Chandra Pandey said that the CM and the Irrigation Minister would meet their UP counterparts during the proposed visit and take up the outstanding matters relating to the transfer of properties between the two states.
He said that land measuring 615 hectares in Haridwar district, 12.5 hectares in Udham Singh Nagar district and 32 hectares in Champawat district is to be transferred to Uttarakhand. He claimed that the officials from UP have already expressed their agreement to the transfer of this land.
In addition to the land, 429 residential buildings and 180 non-residential buildings located in these three districts are also to be transferred to Uttarakhand. Pandey said that following the consent given by the UP officials, the remaining formalities, including the issuance of the necessary government orders by the UP Government, need to be completed. The CM and the Irrigation Minister would take up these issues during their meeting with UP CM Yogi Adityanath to expedite the process and ensure that the pending division of assets was brought to a conclusion.
Another important issue likely to figure prominently during the proposed meeting is the construction of the Iqbalpur canal system, which has remained pending for a considerable period. The project envisages providing irrigation facilities to approximately 18,500 hectares of agricultural land spread across three development blocks of Haridwar district, namely Bahadrabad, Bhagwanpur and Narsan.
For this purpose, a 35-km-long Iqbalpur canal system is proposed to be constructed, which would require 665 cusecs of water from the Upper Ganga Canal. Uttarakhand has been seeking the allocation of this water from UP to facilitate the implementation of the project.
If the UP Government agrees to the proposal, the way would be cleared for the construction of the Iqbalpur canal system, which would provide much-needed irrigation facilities to thousands of farmers in the three development blocks. The project is expected to significantly improve irrigation coverage and benefit the agricultural sector in the region.
