Haryana opposition leaders on Wednesday slammed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after he refused to release more water, with INLD chief Abhay Singh Chautala threatening to block all routes from Punjab passing through Haryana. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accused the Mann government of reducing the supply of water to Haryana, a BJP-ruled state, from 8,500 cusecs to 4,000 cusecs.
INLD president Chautala said that during the agitation against central farm laws, farmers from Haryana stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Punjab farmers. He urged the Punjab farmers to exert pressure on the Mann government so that Haryana is given its due share of water. "If the government does not take any immediate action, then we will have to take a big decision," he said. "We will be forced to block all roads from Punjab which pass through Haryana and go towards Delhi and other parts of north India. This is not mere threat," Chautala warned in a video message. The INLD chief said that districts like Sirsa, Hisar, and Fatehabad, which are Bhakra dependent, are facing water shortage.
Senior Congress leader and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja said that whatever steps the State Government takes to secure its full share of water from the Punjab Government; the Congress party will fully support it. “If the Haryana Government does not raise its voice regarding its share of water from the Bhakra canal, the situation will end up like that of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal,” she added. Selja further said that the central government must intervene to ensure Haryana receives its rightful share of water.
In her statement, the Senior Congress leader said that there was an agreement between the Punjab and Haryana governments regarding water distribution. Under this agreement, water from the Bhakra Canal is distributed to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Until recently, Punjab was providing 9,500 cusecs of water daily to Haryana, which has been reduced to 4,000 cusecs over the past 15 days. Selja criticized the BJP-led Haryana government for failing to protect the state's interests and for not being able to implement the Supreme Court's order to construct the SYL canal. “If the SYL canal had been completed, it would have served as a lifeline for Haryana,” she added. Selja said that during the Congress regime, 85% of the SYL canal construction was completed. However, the BJP government failed to complete it. Meanwhile, the Punjab government took a rigid stance, disregarded the Supreme Court's order, de-notified the canal, and filled it with soil to block it.
Selja further said that the Bhakra canal, constructed in 1954 during unified Punjab, was intended to provide irrigation and drinking water to Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, and Jind. Under the inter-state agreement, Punjab cannot withhold Haryana's share of water under any circumstance. Selja reiterated that Congress will fully support any initiative the Haryana Government undertakes to claim its rightful share of water.
Give Haryana its share of water, stop playing politics, says State Minster Panwar
Haryana Development and Panchayat Minister Krishan Lal Panwar criticised the Punjab government for stopping Haryana’s share of water. Punjab is deliberately playing politics and stopping Haryana’s rightful water, which is completely wrong and condemnable. He appealed to the Punjab government to stop politicising the issue and release Haryana’s full share of water.
Panwar said that Haryana needs 9,500 cusecs of water for drinking purposes, but Punjab has reduced the supply and is only providing around 4,000 cusecs. He condemned this decision. Recently, during the BBMB meeting, a decision was taken to give water, but the Punjab government is cutting this water, which is absolutely wrong, he added.
The Minister said the water flows from Delhi via the Munak head. He said that even when the Aam Aadmi Party was in power in Delhi, they never cut the water supply. But now the Punjab government is deliberately doing politics. He further said that Punjab is also politicising the issue of SYL water, to which Haryana has a rightful claim. The Supreme Court has already given its verdict in Haryana’s favour, so Punjab should comply and provide Haryana its share of SYL water. Panwar said that Congress leaders say one thing when in Punjab- that Haryana won’t get any SYL water and say the opposite when they are in Haryana, claiming the state has a right to SYL water. Congress is only using the issue for political gain and is not genuinely concerned about the public’s needs, said the Minister.