Mann raises PU, SYL at zonal meet, Saini wants rightful share of water

The proposed restructuring of the Panjab University Senate by the Centre was vehemently opposed by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) held at Faridabad today.

He also raised the SYL Canal water issue, while his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini sought rightful share of water for the state.

Mann raised the PU issue, which has created ripples in Punjab, with leaders from all parties, except the BJP, siding with the protesting students and calling the move an attack on the federal structure of the country.

The students, alumni and leaders of different parties are calling the move an attempt to take control of the university affairs from the Senate. The story was first reported by The Tribune.

During the NZC meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Mann said the Centre’s recent attempts to restructure the university’s governance had been seen as an interference in Punjab’s rights and its identity and autonomy.

He cautioned that the PU was not just an academic institution but formed an integral part of Punjabi identity. He called for the restoration of democratic processes, including the announcement of elections for the original 91-member Senate.

“Now at this stage, we do not understand why Haryana wants to affiliate its colleges with the PU, when they have already been affiliated for the past 50 years with Kurukshetra University, an A+ NAAC accredited university,” he said.

Among other issues raised by Mann at the meeting were handing over of Chandigarh to Punjab, restoring the state’s share of 60 per cent posts in the Chandigarh Administration, opposing Rajasthan on the issue of handing over of the Ropar and Harike headworks to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and appointment of permanent members in the BBMB from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

Mann said the state had no surplus water to spare for Haryana. He said all SYL proceedings should therefore be kept in abeyance until the tribunal gave its final award, adding that Punjab had already conveyed that future discussions would be possible only after a fresh, scientific reassessment of the water availability and only after the state’s essential requirements were fully secured.

In the wake of the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, he said it was high time the Centre explored the diversion of water of all western rivers to India.

On his part, the Haryana CM said proper arrangements must be ensured for supplying each state its rightful share of water.

Haryana had consistently been giving Delhi more water than its own share, but due to the non-construction of the SYL Canal, the state was not receiving its full share of water from Punjab, Saini said, adding that once it received its rightful share of water through the SYL, Rajasthan would also get its due share.

The Union Home Minister asked all states to work in coordination to resolve water-related problems.

Pleading for handing over Chandigarh to Punjab, Mann said after the reorganisation of the state, the Indira Gandhi Agreement of 1970 explicitly stated that the capital project area of Chandigarh would, as a whole, go to Punjab, which was a clear commitment from the Centre.

However, he rued that despite all promises, Chandigarh was not transferred to Punjab, which had bruised the psyche of every Punjabi.

The NZC meeting was attended by Haryana CM Saini, Punjab CM Mann, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma, Lt Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, Lt Governor of Ladakh Kavinder Gupta and Administrator of Chandigarh Gulab Chand Kataria among others.