Bhajan Lal to appear before panel on Yamuna accord

Chandigarh, Jul 25 (UNI) Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal today once again failed to appear before the Vidhan Sabha Committee probing into the circumstances that led to the signing of the 1994 Yamuna Accord on sharing of the river waters.

The committee was formed by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha during its budget session following allegations by several members, including Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav, that Haryana's share in the Yamuna waters was reduced after the accord which came into effect when Mr Bhajan Lal was the chief minister.

Talking to mediapersons here, Capt Yadav said Mr Bhajan Lal had not appeared before the House panel even as three notices had been sent to him at his residences in Hisar, Panchkula and Delhi.

While the notices from his Hisar and Panchkula residences came back unserved, the third one in Delhi was received by his personal assistant.

However, Mr Bhajan Lal failed to appear before the committee once again today. The committee, he said, would now issue public notice in this regard and paste notices at his residences as well.

Meanwhile, the then Irrigation Minister Jagdish Nehra told the committee that there were some discrepancies between the cabinet discussion on the Yamuna Accord in 1994 and the agreement that was actually signed later.

He also pointed out that as per 1994 agreement, the accord should have come into effect only when there were storage dams made on the river. Since the dams had not been built as yet, the accord was not legally valid so far, he added.

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