Punjab CM stumped Congress, announces to de-notify land under SYL Canal

CHANDIGARH : In a political masterstroke, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today declared that the Punjab government would de-notify the land which had been acquired for the construction of the controversial Satluj-Yamuna Canal in Punjab. The said land measuring 5376 acres would be returned to its original owners. Making this momentous announcement on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha here this afternoon, the Chief Minister also declared that not a single drop of water would be allowed to flow out of Punjab as such a decision and action would be neither constitutionally nor legally tenable. “In fact, an extremely critical and dangerous water crisis stares its population in the face. I would rather shed every drop of my blood than allow any drop of Punjab’s river waters to flow out in violation of its rights,” said Mr. Badal. SAD-BJP government in Punjab is under pressure from Congress and opposition parties for compromising interests of Punjab farmers for political gains. The BJP led NDA government at center has supported the writ petition of Haryana Government which has been filed against the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act passed by Vidhan Sabha in 2004, annulling all inter-state water dispute agreements. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its ally the BJP were quick to hail the Chief Minister’s announcement. “With a single stroke, Mr. Badal has struck down the long and dark legacy of the Congress governments against the people of Punjab.
The decision would go a long way in removing grave threats to the very survival of the people of Punjab. Every Punjabi would be walking taller from this afternoon as Mr. Badal’s decision would safeguard his dignity and his self esteem,” said the Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Meanwhile, Senior BJP leader Mr. Madan Mohan Mittal also hailed this historic decision, who was also present at the Press Conference and said that BJP being an alliance in the government fully endorsed this pro-farmer and pro-Punjab decision.
Badal’s declaration came as climax of a bitter and intense face off between the SAD and the opposition Congress in the Vidhan Sabha. The CM declared that he was prepared to walk the high road to sacrifice to safeguard the interests of the people of his state. “I would not hesitate to make any supreme sacrifice to protect every drop of water in order to safeguard the rights of Punjabis. He said his government would not agree to any decision in defiance of riparian principles.
Badal said that the issue of river waters does not concern or affect the interests of the farmers alone, in fact every Punjabi faces death and devastation in the event of Punjab’s river waters being constantly denied to it, regardless of whether he was a shopkeeper, trader, businessmen, Arthiya, student, sports person, house wife or from any other sphere, “Any compromise on river waters would amount to signing the death warrant of every Punjabi. This must be confronted, fought and defeated. Anything is precisely what we are totally committed to achieving,” said Mr. Badal. Dwelling on the injustice done by Congress led Centre and State governments to Punjab, the Chief Minister gave a brief account of first betrayal in terms of interstate Ministerial meeting in 1955 which was presided by the then Union Water Resources Minister Mr. Gulzari Lal Nanda and was attended by the Irrigation Ministers of Rajasthan, PEPSU and J&K. The allocation of 15.85 MAF of Ravi, Beas surplus water was distributed amongst Punjab (5.9 MAF), PEPSU (1.3 MAF), J & K (0.65 MAF) and Rajasthan (8 MAF). Internationally accepted Riparian Principle was blatantly violated as Rajasthan neither was nor is a Riparian State. Rajasthan was given 8 MAF, which was more than the combined allocation of 3 Riparian States.