Chandigarh, April 29:
Asserting that BJP is playing duty game by pressurising Punjab to release excess water to Haryana, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said that they will not allow the saffron party to succeed in its nefarious designs against state.
In a statement, the Chief Minister unequivocally said that the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are allotted share in water of state from a cycle of May 21 to May 21 every year. However, he said that the state of Haryana has utilised all the water in its share in the month of March this year due to which they are now trying to grab some more water by robbing Punjab of its water. Giving data, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that hitherto Haryana has used 103% of its allocated water and now the BJP is pressurising Punjab to release more water to Haryana.
The Chief Minister said that unfortunately Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is being illegally used by the BJP to achieve this goal. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that his predecessors used to extend such largesse to appease their mentors in BJP but as a custodian of waters of the state he will never slow this. He said that Punjab has upgraded its canal water system due to which now it requires water to cater to needs of the farmers of the state in wake of ensuing paddy season.
The Chief Minister categorically said that Punjab doesn’t have even a single drop of water to share with the other states. He said that already the state has given 4000 cusec of water to Haryana on humanitarian grounds so as to fulfil their drinking water needs. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the situation of water is already dismal in state and water in Ranjit Singh Dam and Pong Dam was already 39 feet and 24 feet low as compared to the one recorded last year at same time.
The Chief Minister said that there is no question of succumbing to the pressure of the on this issue as it is concerned with the farmers of the state. He said that instead of playing these unlawful games the Union government should divert the waters of Chenab, Jhelum, Ujh and other rivers to the state after cancelling the much hyped Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the surplus water saved from this treaty can be supplied to entire northern region for catering to the needs ahead of paddy season.
The Chief Minister said that instead of pressuring us illegally, the Haryana government should have used their share of water judiciously. He said that BJP should refrain from politicising this issue as water is the necessity of the state and its farmers. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab contributes 185 Metric Ton of paddy in the national food pool and it will not bow before such tantrums of the BJP.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister reiterated that the state has no spare water to share with any other state adding that even a single drop of water will not be given to anyone. He said that most of the blocks of the state are over exploited and the groundwater situation in the state is very grim. Likewise, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that as most of the river resources of the state have dried up, so it needs more water to cater to its irrigation needs.
