Haryana: Long-stalled demarcation work resumes in Yamuna

The Public Works Department (PWD), following approval from the state government, has resumed the long-stalled project of erecting demarcation pillars in the Yamuna, along the Haryana-UP border, to settle a dispute that has simmered for over seven decades.

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Tender allotted for construction of 30 pillars

A tender worth around Rs 70 lakh has been allotted for the construction of 30 pillars, and the agency has started working on it. The work is likely to pick up pace as another tender worth around Rs 5 crore is at the allotment stage, and is expected to be awarded within a fortnight.

“The first tender has been allotted and the agency has started work. The second tender has been opened. We expect to accelerate the remaining work shortly,” said Sandeep Singh, XEN, PWD (B&R).

The Haryana-UP border along the Yamuna has long been an issue of conflict. Since the 1950s, land ownership along this stretch has been mired in disputes. As per records, thousands of acres in Chandrao, Bishangarh, Garhpur Tapu, Kamalpur Gadarian, Manpur, Shergarh Tapu, Dabkoli Khurd, Jadolo, Modipur, Kalsora, and other areas fall in UP, which has resulted in violence, causing many deaths in the past. The shifting course of the Yamuna has caused confusion regarding land ownership, said a farmer.

To address the issue, the Dixit Committee was constituted in the 1970s, which proposed a boundary based on the Yamuna’s course in 1979, which later formed the basis of the Haryana-UP Alteration of Boundaries Act, 1979. Though boundary pillars were installed initially, many were either washed away in floods or allegedly destroyed, creating confusion, said an official.

In January 2020, both state governments agreed to reconstruct the pillars under the supervision of the Survey of India. The ambitious plan includes erecting boundary pillars along a 300-km stretch of the Yamuna — from Yamunanagar to Palwal — with both state PWDs responsible for their respective shares, he added.

The project’s pilot phase began in October 2020 at Badi Kalan village in Karnal, where the Survey of India demarcated pillar locations. Of the 44 pillars in this phase—24 by UP and 20 by Haryana—only nine were actually installed by Haryana, and the project soon hit logistical roadblocks, including seasonal flooding, the official said.

He informed that as per the project blueprint, 604 demarcation pillars were to be erected in Karnal district alone—302 each by Haryana and UP. Haryana is tasked with installing the odd-numbered pillars, and UP the even-numbered ones.

Of the 302 locations identified in Karnal for Haryana’s share, 85 pillars already exist, while the remaining will be installed in the upcoming phase.