Cabinet approves ‘diluted’ water regulation authority

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 4

Bowing to populist pressure, the Punjab Council of Ministers today approved a ‘diluted’ version of the Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority, stripping it of the power to revise the water tariff for drinking, domestic and agricultural purposes.

It has, however, been empowered to issue tariff orders for use of water for industrial and commercial use. The government will issue the Water Resources (Management and Regulation) Ordinance, 2019, to bring changes.

Amid serious concern over the groundwater situation in Punjab, which has the highest water exploitation rate and maximum percentage of dark zones in the country, the ‘watered down’ version of the proposed authority comes in wake of stiff opposition from ministers and MLAs, representing urban Assembly segment – a major vote bank for political parties.

Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, in a statement, said the proposed regulatory architecture had been carefully crafted through multiple iterations. It has been structured to provide functional autonomy to the regulator on the one hand, while retaining the overarching role of the state government in laying the broad policy to guide the regulator.

The government was firmly committed to preserving the scarce and fast depleting water resources, and to taking urgent steps to improve efficiency in the use and reuse of water, he said.

In the previous version of the legislation that was withdrawn in last year’s winter session of the Vidhan Sabha in wake of opposition from ministers and MLAs, it had been proposed to mandate the proposed authority with powers to impose tariff and restrict construction of any structure for drawing water for domestic, commercial and industrial use, except agriculture. It would have enabled all line departments supplying water to automatically come under the Water Resources Department for the purpose of fixing the water tariff.

Explaining today’s decision, a senior official said the authority would be empowered to issue general directions related to extraction and use of groundwater, besides ensuring optimal and efficient utilisation of all water resources in the state, including canal irrigation. For drinking, domestic and agriculture purposes, the authority would be guided by the policy of the state government.

Further, the authority would have the right to impose financial penalties upon non-compliance of its orders or directions and has been vested with the powers of a civil court.