Chandigarh (June 26, 2010): As per PNL report the all Party meeting called by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to discuss river waters issue here Saturday failed to arrive at consensus on the proposal mooted by Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) that a joint deputation should meet the Prime Minsiter Dr. Manmohan Singh and leaders of other national parties before July 13.
The Congress party has refused to meet PM before July 13 on the plea that meeting with PM shall be fixed after July 13, the day when Supreme court of India will hear the petition by Haryana seeking to abolish Punjab assembly resolution of abrogating all previous agreements on sharing of rive watrers between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
The Congress party has also differed to SAD stand on paying royalty on river waters. A party spokesman said that this issue was not on agenda of the meeting.
A controversy had arisen in June after Punjab demanded royalty for the water supplied by it to Haryana.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda questioned the logic of royalty saying Punjab was not producing the water.
SAD in its election manifesto has promsied to Scrap clause 5 of the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act, 2004 to stop the continued loot of river waters”. The said act was enacted by government led by Captain Amarinder Singh.
Badal told reporters after the meeting that leaders of various parties had agreed to meet the prime minister with the demand that water in Punjab be saved.
“Our water table is going down. We do not have enough water to share with other states. We will seek the centre’s intervention in this regard,” Badal said.
Charan Singh secretary Punjab unit of CPI(M) said that at this point of time no legal remedy can be there for giving justice to Punjab in respect to its River waters. Only solution available is by adhering to user principle. All the three states should be allowed to use as much water they are presently using. And for this only option is political solution. Rajiv-Longowal Accord, which was ratified by the Parliament, was such a political solution. It provides a good frame work for the solution. In it existing usage is protected. It ensures justice to Punjab. Now, required updated political solution should be arrived at by involving Centre Government, all concerned State Governments and all recognized political parties.
He said that Punjab State Committee of CPI(M) is of the considered view that this waters issue has become very complicated over the long years since August 1947. Its just solution can be find only politically. All options of legal solution to this tangled issue involving the people of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are closed.
The meeting attended by Akali Dal (Badal), BJP, CPI(M), CPI. The leaders present in the meeting were Parkash Singh Badal,Sukhbir Singh Badal, President SAD & Deputy Chief Minister, ajinder Kaur Bhattal, Leader of the Opposision in Punjab Vidhan Sabha,Mohinder Singh Kay Pee, President PPCC, Ashwani Kumar, President Punjab BJP, Balramji Dass Tandon, Senior BJP Manoranjan Kalia, Local Government and Industries Minister, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, SAD Secretary General & Member Rajya Sabha, General Secretary, SAD, Bhupinder Sambhar, State General Secretary, CPI, Joginder Dayal, National Executive Council Member, CPI, Charan Singh Virdi, State General Secretary, CPM, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Member Parliament, Amritsar, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Irrigation Minister, Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema, Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab and Harcharan Bains, Media Adviser to Chief Minister, Punjab.