Abhay Chautala blames BJP-JJP govt for not taking 'effective steps' on SYL issue

With Punjab reluctant to give SYL water to neighbouring Haryana, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Monday blamed the BJP-JJP coalition for not taking "effective steps" to ensure that Haryana gets its rightful share of the water. He said Punjab is openly saying that it does not have a drop of water to spare for others, but the coalition government in Haryana is not taking effective steps to ensure the state gets its rightful share.

"The BJP-JJP coalition government is not taking effective steps to ensure that Haryana gets its rightful share," Chautala said while addressing workers at the party's state executive meeting in Jind.

According to a party release, Chautala asked his party workers to remain prepared for "any sacrifice" for the construction of Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. He also said that he will raise the SYL issue during the Budget Session of the Haryana Assembly. On January 23, an all-party meeting in Punjab had called for a new tribunal to assess river water availability in Punjab, in an apparent reference to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal project. A resolution had said Punjab does not have surplus water and is facing a threat of desertification due to declining availability of river water and fast depleting groundwater.

"In such a situation, it is unanimously resolved that Government of India should ensure that river water in Punjab is not in any way transferred from basin to non-basin areas of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas, as per internationally accepted riparian principle," it had said.

However, the resolution adopted at the meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh did not specifically name the SYL Canal issue. A day after the Punjab's all-party meeting, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja had asked the Haryana government to immediately move the Supreme Court and help bring SYL water to the state and demanded that the central government explain its position on the matter. Selja had said Haryana has the right on the water of SYL Canal and it has been validated by the Supreme Court.

"Today Haryana is craving for water and farmers of the state are in dire need of it. Haryana has right on the SYL water and the state will take it because the Supreme Court has given judgement many times in favour of Haryana," she had said.

Notably, Punjab has been demanding reassessment of the water volume of the Ravi-Beas river, while Haryana is seeking completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre feet of the river water. The Supreme Court had in September last year given four months to the Centre, Punjab and Haryana to find an amicable solution to the SYL canal issue.

Meanwhile, in the meeting at Jind, the INLD demanded that the Haryana government order a 'special girdwari' (revenue survery) to assess the extent of damage caused by a hailstorm in some parts of the state recently and to compensate the affected farmers.

Addressing the workers, Chautala and state unit chief Nafe Singh Rathi said that recent hailstorm in some northern districts of Haryana, including Kurukshetra and Ambala, had led to damage to crops such as wheat and potato. They said the BJP-JJP government should immediately order a 'special girdwari' to assess the extent of damage and compensate the affected farmers, the release said.

In the meeting, Chautala appealed to workers to help strengthen the party further by connecting more and more people with the regional outfit.   It was informed in the meeting that 112 BJP-JJP workers had left their parties and joined the INLD on Monday in Chautala's presence. Notably, the INLD slumped to its worst-ever performance in the 2019 Haryana Assembly polls. Barring Chautala, who retained his Ellenabad seat in Sirsa district, over 80 candidates of the party had to bite the dust.