UP to give Rs 1,000 cr to Uttarakhand as pension arrears

Dehradun, April 5
Uttar Pradesh will give Rs 1,000 crore to Uttarakhand as part of pension arrears. Further, UP will also transfer 21 hectares of land on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway 58.

This was agreed at a meeting between Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav held at Lucknow today. In a half-an hour meeting, the two decided to solve the long pending issue of pension arrears. It was agreed that UP would provide Rs 1000 crore to Uttarakhand as part of pension arrears. This payment will be done through instalments.

Both Chief Ministers also decided to transfer prisoners. While those of UP in Uttarakhand jails will be shifted to their state, similarly, the prisoners of Uttarakhand in UP too will be sent to the hill state. This will help family members of the prisoners who have to travel long distances to meet them.

Following the request of UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, it was decided that Uttarakhand will leave adequate water for the Ganga to ensure enough availability of water.

The meeting also decided to hold a Chief Secretary-level meeting to decide on other pending issues. It was also decided to hold a joint meeting of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi and work for a collective workplan for tourism development.