Shri Bishnu Prasad Poudel, the Water Resources Minister of Nepal called on Prof. Saifuddin Soz, the Union Minister for Water Resources alongwith a team of water experts and officers here today. Welcoming the Nepal Minister, Prof. Soz assured him of full cooperation of Govt. of India in the common endeavor to tackle various problems in the water management for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
Both the ministers held a detailed review of various water resources projects. They agreed that the field work of Saptkosi High Dam Project should be expedited to complete Detailed Project Report (DPR) early. Shri Poudel has assured that the Nepal Government would provide necessary cooperation including security to the field staff to complete the task in the minimum possible time.
Discussions were held on the Pancheshwar Multi-Purpose Project. Shri Poudel requested that the work on this project, which has already been delayed for quite some time, should be expedited in the spirit of Mahakali Treaty-1996.
Explaining the importance of the visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal Shri Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and his delegation to India, Prof. Soz emphasized that the discussions at the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s level and other levels have been spectacularly successful and a new era of mutual cooperation and trust has ushered in, particularly in the water management sector.
Both sides have agreed on a 3-tier Joint Mechanism for water management – Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) at the level of Ministers; Joint Committee on Water Resources at the Secretaries level; and Project-Level Technical Committees, Project wise (8 committees to be set up).
SK/SL
(Release ID :42826)