"Win-win proposition for four states": Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis hails Narmada project agreement

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday welcomed the resolution of longpending issues linked to the Narmada river project calling the agreement a ldquowinwinrdquo arrangement for Maharashtra Gujarat Madhya Pradesh and RajasthanThe decadesold dispute related to costsharing arrangements and pending payments for the Narmada project was resolved after an agreement was signed by the four states in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New DelhiSpeaking to reporters after the development Fadnavis credited Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil for helping the states reach a consensusThere were several ongoing disputes regarding this Narmada projectspecifically involving Maharashtra Gujarat Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Discussions were held to resolve these disputes collectively and today we have successfully resolved them We feel that the Home Minister and the Jal Shakti Minister played a pivotal role in this processMaharashtrarsquos pending dues reduced after settlementExplaining the outcome of the agreement Fadnavis said Maharashtra had received major relief regarding financial claims linked to the projectAs a result the substantial outstanding dues previously claimed against us have been waived Maharashtra is now required to pay only Rs 27 crore whereas earlier claims amounting to Rs 2000Rs 3000 crore had been raised against usThe agreement focuses on settling pending financial matters among states that are beneficiaries of the Narmada Award According to officials the paymentrelated issues have now been resolved through a onetime settlementAlternative watersharing proposals receive approvalThe Maharashtra Chief Minister also highlighted discussions regarding the statersquos share of water from the project and alternative arrangements proposed due to geographical challengesMaharashtra was entitled to receive 10 TMC of water but due to geographical and topographical constraints that water could not be delivered Therefore we proposed two alternative projects one involving the diversion of 5 TMC of water and another where securing 5 TMC from Ukai Dam would be beneficial to us These proposals have received inprinciple approval today he addedFadnavis said the agreement reflected coordination among states and described it as an example of cooperative federalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos leadership stating that four states united to formulate a winwin proposition through todays meetingFour states sign agreement in New DelhiThe agreement was signed in the presence of Amit Shah CR Patil Devendra Fadnavis Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and senior officials from the Centre and the concerned statesAccording to the Ministry of Home Affairs the agreement marks a significant step in resolving disputes between the four states related to the construction of the Sardar Sarovar ProjectCentre says longpending issue resolved amicablyThe Ministry of Home Affairs said This agreement marks a historic milestone in resolving the longstanding disputes among the states of Madhya Pradesh Gujarat Rajasthan and Maharashtra relating to the costsharing arrangements for the construction of the Sardar Sarovar ProjectAddressing the meeting Shah said that pending payment issues under the Narmada Award had remained unresolved for several years and had now been settled through discussions among all stakeholdersWith inputs from ANI