Stand-off over, MP releases Bansagar Dam water to UP

 Ending days of <g data-gr-id="20">stand-off</g>, the Madhya Pradesh government on Monday released water from <g data-gr-id="31">Bansagar</g> Dam to Uttar Pradesh, following the Centre’s intervention.

According to officials, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered to release water from <g data-gr-id="22">Bansagar</g> Dam to Uttar Pradesh on the request of Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti.

“This has resolved the water supply crisis that had arisen due to an earlier refusal of Madhya Pradesh to release water to Uttar Pradesh from <g data-gr-id="27">Bansagar</g> Dam on the grounds of non-release of share of operation and maintenance funds by UP to Madhya Pradesh,” said a ministry official.

Madhya Pradesh had earlier refused to release water on the ground that UP had not agreed to share the operation and maintenance cost of <g data-gr-id="28">Bansagar</g> Dam, and hence, they did not store the due share of water for UP in the dam. The UP government has <g data-gr-id="29">refuted</g> MP’s claim, the official added.

Accordingly, a committee under the chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC) was constituted to examine the issue in consultation with all party states. A fortnight ago, the Centre also convened a tripartite meeting to resolve the dispute between the two <g data-gr-id="30">states,</g> but failed to make headway as several outstanding issues could not be sorted.

The dam is located in Madhya Pradesh and controlled by the <g data-gr-id="26">Bansagar</g> Control Board, which is a subordinate office of the Union Water Resources Ministry. The UP government also wrote to the CWC, seeking that directions be issued to Madhya Pradesh to release 2,000 cusecs of water from 

the dam.