Union Minister Uma Bharti with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Uttar Pradesh Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav. (Source: Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey) Union Minister Uma Bharti with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Uttar Pradesh Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav. (Source: Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

As the tussle between Haryana and Delhi on the issue of water continues, the capital seems to have found some respite to its water woes after the Uttar Pradesh government extended support to the Delhi government on Friday.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board, which was chaired by Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti and attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

“The UP CM has asked the Delhi CM to discuss the water problem and said they will help Delhi if needed,” a government source said.

Sources said that the issue of Delhi getting water from Munak Canal was also discussed in the meeting. “Kejriwal and Khattar discussed the issue of water. However, the Haryana CM pointed out that the issue was still sub-judice,” the source said.

A meeting between the two chief ministers is likely to take place in mid-April in Chandigarh, the source said.

Meanwhile, an official statement from the Haryana government said that while the state would provide Delhi its share of water, “it was not practical to provide water to Delhi by ignoring the interests of farmers and citizens of Haryana.”

The statement added that while Delhi would require more water with its increasing population, “it is not justifiable to expect only Haryana to meet the capital’s water demand.” “All states should contribute in supplying water to Delhi,” Khattar said.

The meeting also saw Khattar calling for immediate payment for the construction and maintenance of the Munak Canal. “Haryana should be paid the pending amount of Rs 106 crore for the construction of the canal by the Delhi government. Apart from this, the government should pay the pending amount of Rs 87.3 crore for the maintenance of Haryana’s half of the canal in Delhi,” Khattar said.

The development comes days after Kejriwal wrote a letter to Khattar, offering to travel to Chandigarh to discuss the issue.

AAP MLA from Karawal Nagar, Kapil Mishra, had also raised concerns about Haryana’s purported stand on the issue. Mishra had also lashed out at the BJP for indulging in politics on the issue of water.

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