Issues between UP and Uttarakhand resolved with dialogue: Yogi Adityanath

HARIDWAR: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that 21-year-old issues on the division of assets between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been resolved with dialogue and added that this sets an example for resolving disputes between two states in the country.

Yogi Adityanath made the remarks while handing over the keys of Alaknanda hotel in Haridwar to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, ending a 21-year-old dispute over the hotel between the two states. He also inaugurated the Bhagirathi guest house built by the UP government at a cost of ₹ 41 crore in Haridwar.

“Ganga is born only when Bhagirathi and Alaknanda come together. UP and Uttarakhand may be two states, but the feelings and sentiments of people in both states are the same. Not leaving it to bureaucracy, we resolved the issues politically by dialogue,” he said.

He said the resolution was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision regarding Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India ).

The hotel was built by Uttar Pradesh Tourism Corporation on land allocated by the Uttarakhand government in Haridwar.

“When I became UP chief minister in 2017, a week later the Supreme Court expressed resentment over delay in resolving property disputes between the two states regarding handing over of Alaknanda hotel to Uttarakhand. I took it u on priority so that such interstate disputes don’t get dragged on for years in courts but get resolved with dialogue. I assure people of Uttarakhand both sides will be satisfied as all disputes pertaining will be resolved in a similar manner,” said Adityanath.

Adityanath also suggested the Uttarakhand government explore the immense possibilities of eco-tourism and tourism activities in non-yatra months, saying the same will boost tourism as a whole and create employment opportunities for the local people and strengthen the hill state’s economy.

Uttarakhand chief minister Dhami thanked Yogi Adityanath for his willingness to resolve the dispute, underlining that the two states have much in common and this will further boost the ties between the two neighbouring states.

When Uttarakhand was carved out of UP in November 2000, the UP government handed over a hotel near the Haridwar bus station to Uttarakhand but was unwilling to give Alaknanda hotel as well.

Alaknanda hotel, which is located on the banks of the Ganga canal close to Har-ki-Pauri, was built in 1964 by the UP tourism corporation. Despite the formation of a separate state, UP Irrigation department continues to control 4,000, residential buildings, 357 non-residential buildings and 13,813 hectares of land in Uttarakhand.

UP Irrigation department also manages the operation of the Ganga Canal in Haridwar, Nanak Sagar Dam, Baigul Dam, Chaudhary Charan Singh Bhimgoda and Sharda barrages along with VIP Ganga ghat opposite Har-ki-Pauri.

Pushkar Singh Dhami last met Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on November 18, 2021, and the two leaders decided to mutually end the dispute.

The pending issues between the two states include the transfer of UP’s properties in Uttarakhand. It was decided to hold a joint survey of 5700-hectare land and 1,700 buildings under UP’s irrigation department in Uttarakhand and after the survey, UP will keep the land and buildings it requires and the rest will be handed over to Uttarakhand.