Making a last ditch effort to prevent Punjab waters from flowing into Haryana, the State legislative Assembly on Wednesday adopted two resolutions against handing over land for the construction of Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) canal and for levying “cost or royalty” on water from Haryana, Rajasthan, and also Delhi.
Punjab Vidhan Sabha, which has been convened for a special one-day session in the wake of the Supreme Court’s verdict holding “invalid” the 2004 Act terminating all river water agreements between Punjab and the neighbouring States, has directed the State Government to take up with the Centre the matter for levying “cost or royalty” on water being supplied to the States of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi till date.
Besides, it has also directed the State Government, Cabinet and all the Government officials not to hand over the State’s land for the construction of SYl canal and neither allow anybody to work on it, nor to cooperate for the purpose.
The two resolutions were adopted “unanimously” in the absence of the legislators of the principal Opposition party — the Congress.
All the 42 Congress MlAs have already handed over their resignations to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal following adverse judgement in the SYl case, which are yet to be accepted.
The first resolution was moved by the State’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Mohan Mittal to seek royalty from the states to which Punjab waters are being supplied, including Haryana and Rajasthan.
Going into historical background, Mittal pointed that the riparian law was working since the British rule. “Water of Satluj river was given to Patiala, Nabha and Jind States in 1873 and it was clearly specified that the States had to pay royalty in lieu of water and these States had paid royalty up to 1945-46,” he said.
He added, “Similarly, the water was released to the Bikaner State through Gang Canal and the Bikaner State paid royalty to the State of Punjab in lieu of that.”
Mittal pointed that only people of Punjab suffer full brunt of the floods, as river affect the regions, whereas canals disperse water and not cause floods. He added that as Haryana is non-riparian states, it do not hold any right over Punjab’s waters and thus liable for royalty.
He insisted to demand payment for Haryana ever since it was carved out of Punjab in 1966.
Seconding the resolution, SAD MlA Nirmal Singh Judge pointed that Rajasthan is liable to pay `80,000 crore to Punjab for using its water. He also added that Punjab should not seek setting up of a Tribunal to resolve the water dispute rather a civil suit be filed to seek cost of water given to the neighbouring States of Haryana
and Rajasthan.
Independent MlA Simarjeet Singh Bains, correcting Nirmal Singh, claimed that the state of Rajasthan is liable to pay a total amount of `15,34,404 crore to Punjab which would be of great help to the state which is reeling under “huge debt burden”, and its farmers are committing suicide almost every day.
Opposing the resolution, he maintained that the Government was only shedding crocodile tears. Simarjeet, proposing amendments in the resolution, asserted that government should, in fact, charge “cost” of water given from Haryana and Rajasthan.
As the Speaker proceeded to put the resolution for vote before the legislators, Simarjeet and his elder brother Balwinder Singh Bains entered the
well of the House demanding amendments.
Intervening, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal insisted to “direct” the state government in place of “recommending”.
“Whatever water is given to the other States, cost would be charged…Secondly, direction should be given to the state government to charge cost from Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi too,” he added, satisfying Bains brothers.
Finally, a resolution was passed by the House to “direct” the state government immediately take up the matter with the Central Government “as well as the State Governments of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi” regarding securing “cost and royalty” from the non-riparian States in lieu of releasing of river waters to these states without securing anything for the same, so as to undo the injustice and high handedness meted out to the state for decades by the Congress-led Governments in Punjab and the Centre.