UP, MP face off over water in drought-hit Bundelkhand

Mahoba, Jan 8 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Governments are in a face off situation over drinking water in the impoverished Bundelkhand region.

Both the Governments have registered cases against each other in this regard.

Executive engineer of MP Irrigation Department in Chattarpur district had lodged a case against UP Irrigation Department for allegedly forcefully constructing an intake well near the Urmil dam.

The construction of the said well was being done under the Mahoba Drinking Water Reconstruction Programme.

However, the construction work had now been stopped, following the lodging of the case at the Garhi Malhara police station by the MP Irrigation Department.

Meanwhile, the local farmers had started withdrawing water from the dam by installing over 500 pumping sets.

Subsequently, the UP Irrigation Department lodged a case at the Srinagar police station about the water being forcibly taken from the dam by the other State.

The UP and MP governments had agreed to contribute funds in the ratio of 60 and 40 respectively for the construction of the Urmil dam.

As per the agreement, both the Governments were entitled to draw water from the dam in the same ratio.

The Rs 27 crore Mahoba Drinking Water Reconstruction Programme was already facing hard times due to no rainfall and drought situation in the region.

The UP Government had planned to take water from the dam through 25-km-long pipeline.

Now, while MP Police is keeping an eye that no construction takes place in the intake well, the UP Police is maintaining a vigil to prevent any forcible taking of water from the dam.

Meanwhile, executive engineer, Irrigation (Mahoba block) Kunal Kulshreshtha has blamed the MP's Irrigation Department, alleging that the intake well construction was being done on the UP land, for which no permission was required from the MP Government.

Mr Kulshreshtha informed that District Magistrate Aneeta Chatterjee had been apprised of the situation.

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