Water pact: UT gets Hry nod

CHANDIGARH: Finally, the Haryana Government has given its consent for additional water supply of 40 million gallons per day (MGD) through a new pipeline from Punjab to Chandigarh. The Punjab Government has already agreed and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) had recently asked the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) to pay Rs 98 crore for the project that would take nearly two years to be completed.

One of the pump houses of Kajauli waterworks. a file photo

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25

Finally, the Haryana Government has given its consent for additional water supply of 40 million gallons per day (MGD) through a new pipeline from Punjab to Chandigarh.

The Punjab Government has already agreed and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) had recently asked the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) to pay Rs 98 crore for the project that would take nearly two years to be completed. The information regarding the consent by the Haryana Government was given during the 27th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council, which was held today in New Delhi.

In the meeting, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “The state government has already given its consent to the Chandigarh Administration for the drawing of 40 MGD water from the Kajauli head for the Phase V and VI drinking water supply scheme.” He said that water from the Kajauli head should be distributed as per the 1983 Agreement.

According to the water sharing agreement, the water cannot be released if one of the states refuses to give its consent to the project. The additional water supply will come as a great relief for city residents.

Giving details about the project, a senior UT official said that the UT had received a letter from Punjab asking it to pay for the project so that it could get additional water from Kajauli. The single pipeline will be laid by both Punjab and Chandigarh. In half of the area, the pipeline will be laid by Punjab and the rest will be covered by the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. From Kajauli canal, water will flow to Sector 39-based water treatment plant and as per the requirement, water will be supplied to the city after treatment, he said.

Sources said GMADA would lay the water pipeline till Jhandpur village situated in the Kharar sub-division of Mohali district. The Chandigarh MC will then have to make own arrangements for pumping and supplying water from Kharar to the city.

The MC has got the project of 40 MGD additional water approved in 2011-12 under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) costing around Rs 196 crore. But the project went into limbo, as Punjab refused to give land for laying down the pipeline. Later, the matter was resolved.

Council accepts Master Plan
In the Northern Zonal Council meeting in New Delhi, the council has accepted the amalgamation of the Chandigarh Master Plan, master plans of the Punjab and Haryana areas prepared by them as the Regional Plan with the exception of Nayagaon and the north of the Capitol Complex area, which will be subject to the Supreme Court’s orders. It was also decided that local issues will be resolved by the Coordination Committee of the UT Adviser, the Chief Secretary, Punjab, and the Chief Secretary, Haryana.