New Delhi, Aug 31: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said any long-pending inter-state dispute could be resolved through dialogue in the spirit of cooperative federalism, citing the settlement of the nearly 25-year-old Sone River water-sharing dispute between Bihar and Jharkhand as an example.
Speaking at the signing of an MoU between Bihar and Jharkhand on sharing the Sone River water, Shah said the agreement demonstrated that issues affecting large geographical areas, farmers, rural communities and drinking-water supplies could be resolved when states worked together as “Team Bharat”.
He said the agreement had resolved a long-standing water dispute in eastern India and would ensure irrigation and drinking water for people in large parts of both states.
Shah said all states had their own distinct identities, but there was no problem that could not be resolved when they moved forward as “Team Bharat” within the national framework.
“The agreement reached today to resolve the nearly 25-year-old water dispute between Bihar and Jharkhand exemplifies that any problem can be solved through dialogue conducted with the spirit of cooperative federalism,” he said.
Shah said the pact was the fourth major agreement between states reached this year to settle long-pending disputes and improve water availability for irrigation, rural development and drinking purposes.
He said the Sone River agreement would benefit districts including Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Patna in Bihar, besides Palamu, Garhwa and other areas of Jharkhand.
The Home Minister said the settlement showed that cooperative federalism, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, could provide solutions to complex inter-state issues that had remained unresolved for decades.
He said several disputes that had been pending for years were being addressed through the Inter-State Council and referred to other agreements reached this year.
On July 7, an agreement was signed among Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to settle outstanding payments related to the Narmada Award and the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project through a one-time settlement.
Earlier, on June 29, Rajasthan and Haryana reached an agreement for the implementation of the Yamuna Water Project, under which around 580 million cubic metres of water would be conveyed to Rajasthan through three underground pipelines.
On June 16, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan reached consensus on the implementation of the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project.
Shah said these agreements reflected the effectiveness of dialogue and cooperation in resolving inter-state issues.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for facilitating the settlement.
Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister, the Union Home Secretary and senior officials of the Centre and both states were present at the signing ceremony.
