Won’t tolerate attempt to snatch Punjab’s rights, resources: CM

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday accused Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh of seeking to snatch the resources of Punjab and said infringement of state’s rights would not be tolerated.

A day after the Northern Zonal Council met under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister to discuss matters pertaining to the northern states, Mann said his opposition to Punjab-specific agendas raised by the neighbouring states led the Home Minister to defer decisions on all 11 items related to the state.

“Of the 28 items on the meeting agenda, 11 pertained to Punjab. While on most, the Centre agreed to a status quo, our demand for the restoration of 60:40 Punjab-Haryana ratio for service intake to the Chandigarh Administration was referred to the standing committee of the council. This was done because Himachal Pradesh has now surprisingly claimed a 7 per cent share in the Chandigarh Administration staff. The committee will hear both states on this,” Mann said.

Punjab resisted three demands raised by Haryana at the meeting — water sharing under the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal; demand that Punjab refrain from building mini hydel projects on the Bhakra Main Line as these hamper water flow; and accreditation of Haryana colleges to Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Mann also objected to a proposal to appoint a whole-time member from Rajasthan on the Bhakra Beas Management Board where Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are already represented as ex officio members.

“We have no spare water. The solution lies in converting the SYL to the Yamuna-Sutlej Link and diverting the Yamuna waters to Haryana. Also the Indus Waters Treaty abeyance should be used to divert the waters of the Chenab to the Ravi and the Beas over which we already have dams regulating the water flow downstream,” Mann said, demanding a thorough review of current day water availability.

He said all states described Punjab as the big brother but in another breath wanted to “usurp its resources”.

“If this continues, the big brother will stand devastated as young brothers prosper,” said Mann, who also opposed a proposal to transfer the control of the Ropar, Harike and Ferozepur headworks to the BBMB. Punjab contended that nowhere in India did an external agency run headworks located in a particular state.

“Why this stepmotherly treatment with Punjab,” asked Mann.

Two demands the CM raised to the Centre were — hand over Chandigarh to Punjab and announce elections to the PU Senate.

“The Indira Gandhi Agreement of 1970 clearly said the capital project area of Chandigarh would, as a whole, go to Punjab. Later, the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, signed on July 24, 1985, between then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, reaffirmed that Chandigarh would be transferred to Punjab,” said Mann.

He specifically red-flagged the recent appointment of UT-cadre DANICS officers to key Chandigarh Administration posts such as Excise, Education, Finance and Health which were conventionally held by Punjab-cadre IAS officers.

The CM demanded that the post of the GM, Food Corporation of India (Punjab), be reserved for the Punjab cadre as had been the practice. This demand came amid fears that once the incumbent GM leaves, the Centre may appoint a non-Punjab-cadre officer to the key post which requires technical knowledge of state’s procurement quantum and challenges.