Centre to mediate between Punjab, Haryana in Hansi Butana Canal issue: Khadse

Union Minister Raksha Nikhil Khadse on Tuesday said the Centre would act as an intermediary between Punjab and Haryana to resolve the Hansi Butana canal dispute and other water distribution issues that had been triggering floods in villages along the Ghaggar.

Khadse, accompanied by former MP and BJP leader from Patiala Preneet Kaur and other party leaders, visited flood-hit villages, including Dudhan Gujran, Budhmor, Mehmoodpur, Jalan Kheri, Sassi Gujran and Dharamheri. These areas have borne the brunt of flooding caused by the Tangri, Markanda and Ghaggar rivers.

The minister also met farmers staging a sit-in at Dharamheri village since September 9, demanding a solution to the canal issue. She assured them that the Centre would soon convene a meeting with representatives of both states. Following the assurance, the farmers suspended their eight-day-long protest.

Khadse said she would take up the matter with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil and urge him to mediate between Punjab and Haryana.

She also recommended 100 per cent compensation for crop loss. “At some places, we could still see paddy saplings standing in fields, but farmers told us that the grain had been completely damaged,” she said.

On the issue of procurement, Khadse did not find any problem with the standard 17% moisture requirement. “It is a technical issue, but since complete compensation is being provided for crop loss, I do not think the demand for relaxation in moisture norms should arise,” she added.

During her interaction with farmers, Khadse noted their key demands — desilting of rivers, construction of permanent embankments and inlets, and urgent repair of the 25-km Patiala-Pehowa road that links the district to Kurukshetra.

The minister credited Preneet Kaur for raising the issue at the Prime Minister’s Office and initiating dialogue with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

Preneet Kaur, while speaking to the media, said: “Patiala has been hit hard by floods from the Tangri, Markanda and Ghaggar rivers. This is an inter-state issue concerning Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. A permanent resolution requires coordinated action by the Water Commission.”