PATNA, July 13 -- Decks are now cleared for formulation of the long-demanded national silt management policy after the Central Water Commission (CWC) agreed to withdraw its critical remarks against the Bihar government's proposal, pursued since 2012-13, at the 27th zonal council meeting of eastern states at Ranchi on Thursday. State water resources minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, talking to reporters on Friday, said Bihar government's long-standing demand for framing the national-level silt management policy received a major push after Union home minister Amit Shah, in whose chairmanship the zonal council meeting was convened, stepped in to make the CWC change its stand. "The process of framing the silt management policy suffered a blow after the CWC had stated that removing silt from rivers was neither financially feasible nor desirable," said the minister. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar had been spearheading the drive for the silt management policy at the national level to ensure incessant flow of rivers, particularly those originating from Himalayan region, as they carried huge amounts of silt. Beds of most of the rivers had flattened over the years due to deposit of silt, which had increased fear of flooding and risked changing course of rivers, said the WRD minister. Chaudhary added that the Centre had set up an expert committee to chalk out policy framework in consultation with other states. "Several rivers in Bihar have become moribund owing to lack of silt management," he added. The regional council meeting, which was also attended by deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, also successfully resolved the decades' long dispute over sharing of Sone water between Bihar and Jharkhand. "At the meeting, the Jharkhand government, represented by CM Hemant Soren, agreed to share Sone river water in the proportion of 5.75:2 between Bihar and Jharkhand. This meant, of the total 7.75 million acre feet (MAF) of water at Indrapuri barrage, Bihar would be getting a total of 5.75 MAF. The issue has been pending despite dozens of meetings at different levels between the two states since bifurcation of Jharkhand in 2000," said the minister, adding, the agreement would also pave the way for building a reservoir on Sone river near Indrapuri. The WRD minister said the Bihar government won't build a barrage on Mahanand river at Taiyabpur in Kishanganj district after the West Bengal government refused to share its water from Fulbari barrage on the same river in Siliguri district. "We have been waiting for the WB government nod to build an eight-kilometre water carriageway from Fulbari to irrigate around 67,000 hectare land in the bordering districts since 1978. As Bengal declined to share water, the Centre gave its nod for the Taiyabpur barrage, 45 km downstream of Fulbari. West Bengal government has agreed to release the requisite quantum of water downstream," said Choudhary. The decades' long tiff over sharing of pension liability between Bihar and Jharkhand also headed for its resolution after the Jharkhand government agreed to mend its stand and gave its nod for distribution of pension liability as per the persons retired instead of sharing in proportion of the population between the two states. The Bihar government has been insisting on share of pension liabilities on the basis of number of retired persons, against which the Jharkhand government has gone to the Supreme Court. The apex court has set up an expert committee to decide the matter, which is set to submit its report to the court next month....