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Shri
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Minister for Irrigation and Power, Government
of India and Dr. K L Rao, Union Minister of State for Irrigation
and Power, Government of India, during May and June, 1966
went round the concerned States and held discussions separately
with the respective Chief Ministers with a view to evolve
a satisfactory basis for resolving the disputes. However,
no settlement could be reached.
The Union
Ministry of Irrigation and Power arranged joint discussions
at the official level under the chairmanship of the Chairman,
CWPC, New Delhi, to consider the technical aspects of the
Narmada Water Resources Development. The official level meetings,
which were attended by the representatives of the four States
and of the Planning Commission besides those of the CWPC and
the concerned Ministry, were held intermittently for twelve
days between 19th July, 1966 and 14th August, 1966. During
these discussions agreement was reached on minor points such
as quantum of utilizable flow at Navagam and its dependability
and the load factor to be adopted for hydro-electric projects
but the wide differences about sharing of water, areas to
be irrigated in each State, level of the Navagam dam and canal
persisted as before.
On 22nd
August, 1966, a meeting of the Chief Ministers of the four
States namely, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya
Pradesh was convened by the Union Minister for Irrigation
and Power at New Delhi. This meeting was attended by the Minister
for State for Irrigation and Power. In the meeting it was
decided that the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
should meet as possible with a view to resolve the dispute
amicably. In pursuance thereof the Chief Ministers of Madhya
Pradesh and Gujarat held discussion at Pachmarhi on 23rd May,
1967 and in New Delhi on 22nd June, 1967. Thereafter, a meeting
of the Union Minister of Irrigation and Power and Chief Minister
of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan took
place at New Delhi on 18th December, 1967. This meeting provided
infructuous.
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