The Nainital High Court has,in a landmark decision,directed that Irrigation Department properties worth more than Rs 1,000 crore in Uttarakhand,under the control of the UP Government,be handed over to Uttarakhand. Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has welcomed the decision of the bench comprising Justices B K Gupta and B K Bisht. According to Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pande,the properties include 65 bighas of agricultural land in Hardwar along with 28 big canals and some water bodies and buildings located in Udham Singh Nagar. He added that following the High Court judgment,the notification issued by the Centre on November 7,2000 with regard to the control of Uttar Pradesh over these properties stood nullified as Uttarakhand had attained statehood two days after the notification. A PIL pertaining to transfer of 65 bigha land in Hardwar and other irrigation properties to Uttarakhand had been filed by one Arvind Chauhan. The PIL pointed out that as per the Centres notification,the Uttar Pradesh government was to manage the irrigation properties in Uttarakhand till the constitution of a Ganga Canal Board. However,Uttarakhand had come into being as a state in the meantime but UP had still not handed over the said properties. Incidentally,the Ganga Canal Board is yet to be constituted.
