Centre treating Punjab unfairly, says CM Mann at NITI Aayog meeting; defends state's water rights
PTC Web Desk: At the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann strongly criticised the Central Government's approach toward Punjab, accusing it of displaying a "step-motherly attitude" and engaging in discriminatory and unjust treatment of the state.
Raising key issues from the NITI Aayog platform, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann firmly reiterated that "Punjab does not possess any surplus water to share with other states'. He urged the central leadership to consider the construction of the Yamuna-Sutlej Link (YSL) canal instead of the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, citing the state’s worsening water crisis.
"Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already water-deficient. Any additional diversion should redirect water to these stressed basins, not extract more from them," CM Mann said, while reiterating that Punjab cannot afford to lose more of its already depleted water resources.
The Punjab Chief Minister said the state had consistently advocated for a renegotiation regarding Yamuna water distribution, referencing a March 12, 1954 agreement between the erstwhile undivided Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. According to this agreement, undivided Punjab was allocated two-thirds of the Yamuna waters, a historical claim that Punjab continues to uphold.
In another significant intervention, CM Mann objected to the Centre's recent decision to deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel for the security of Bhakra and Nangal dams, a responsibility Punjab has managed for decades. He warned that this move undermines the state's autonomy and weakens its administrative authority.
“The decision to station CISF at the dams must be immediately withdrawn. It violates the spirit of cooperative federalism,” CM Mann said. He also accused the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) of operating in a biased manner that disregards Punjab’s rights and representation, citing the exclusion of Punjab officials from key roles and unilateral water releases without state consent.
He further demanded a special grant of Rs 600 crore from the Centre for the desilting and maintenance of the Harike Headworks, a vital part of Punjab's irrigation infrastructure.
- PTC NEWS
