Chandigarh (July 16, 2012): Media reports have suggested that the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has taken a strong exception to the revelation made by the Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal regarding the Centre’s proposal to shift the subject of water from the “State list” to the “Concurrent list” of the Constitution of India with the purported objective to deal with water scarcity and conservation issues in the India’s “national interest”.
Badal is reported to have said that the Centre’s intended move to transfer the subject of “Water” from State list to the Concurrent list was against the basic spirit of federalism and would further weaken the States thereby encroaching upon their rights by depriving them of their legitimate and justified Constitutional rights.
He has demanded that Centre should desist from taking this un-democratic step which would lead to wide-spread resentment amongst the states.
The Chief Minister vehemently opposed the attempt of the Consultative Committee of Parliament constituted to form a new national water policy recommending the transfer of ”Water” subject from state list to the concurrent list as mentioned by Bansal in a joint press conference addressed at Chandigarh along with the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday.
Badal Dal’s failure safeguard riparian rights of people of Punjab:
It is notable that Badal Dal that has re-returned in 2012 to power in Punjab after ruling the state for full term of five years (2007-2012) had drastically failed to to protect riparian and legal rights of Punjab.
It is worth mentioning her that prior to July 12, 2004 rights of Punjab were violated through illegal arrangements, made from time to time at the behest of Centre, but since the adoption of Section 5 of Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004 (on July 12, 2004) illegal allocation of Punjab’s river water to non-riparian states has received the legal stamp of Punjab Assembly.
Both Congress and the ruling SAD-BJP alliance are responsible for the current situation.
Section 5 was passed unanimously by Punjab Assembly during Congress rule and current ruling regime, in spite of its’ promise made in 2007 assembly election manifesto to terminate section 5 of PTAA, has continued to ignore the interests of people of Punjab.