Jaipur: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday questioned the Rajasthan govt over the alleged non-availability of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the Yamuna water project, asking Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to clarify where the document could be accessed online.In a post on X, Gehlot said the chief minister and the water resources minister maintained that the MoA was not a confidential document and was available on the internet.“It is not available on any website of the Rajasthan govt or the Central govt. Kindly, Chief Minister ji, tell us where this MoA is available on the internet?” he asked.The remarks come weeks after Rajasthan and Haryana signed the agreement for implementation of the Yamuna water project in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah. The MoA was signed by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, and Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil in New Delhi.The project is aimed at supplying drinking water to Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region through a nearly 300-km underground pipeline from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana.Under the agreement, Rajasthan will receive its allocated share of Yamuna water through three underground pipelines connected to the Western Yamuna Canal during the monsoon. The project is expected to provide drinking water to Sikar, Churu, and Jhunjhunu districts, while parts of Haryana’s Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts are also expected to benefit.Officials said the project will transport about 580 million cubic metres of water annually and help recharge groundwater by storing surplus monsoon water in reservoirs.The project is estimated to cost Rs 34,102 crore and includes the construction of a 295.5-km underground pipeline from the Hathnikund Barrage to the proposed Hansiyawas reservoir in Churu district.
