Badal failed to protect state’s interests: Capt

“The state messed up the matter from the day one by adopting a wrong course apparently with an intent to exploit the issue for political gains. Instead of treating the issue separately,the government got it clubbed with the Hansi-Butana canal,” he said.

Amarinder also criticised the “dubious” role played by the Central Water Commission (CWC) on the issue which,he said,had changed its stand from what it had concluded in 2006. “The state could not even point out the variance in the CWC stand on the issue between 2006 and now,” he added.

Expressing surprise as to why the state failed to put up a strong case,Amarinder said that it was a colossal failure of the Akali-BJP government that it could not present facts effectively to get relief. Even the state could not raise the issue of the construction of siphons that the Haryana government was supposed to make but has failed to do,he added.

Observing that it required simple common sense to note that the wall would pose danger of floods,Amarinder said: “The construction of the canal itself has led to blockade of water from these two rivers. Now,a concrete toe wall will further block the water that will ultimately flood Punjab.”

Haryana hails verdict,to speed up work on wall

Haryana Public Works (Building and Roads) Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Friday that following the Supreme Court order that dismissed the Punjab government’s petition seeking directions to restrain Haryana from constructing a toe wall along the Hansi-Butana canal,there will be no hindrance in the construction of the wall,which will make Kaithal district — especially Guhla Cheeka and Kaithal city — free from the fear of floods.

Surjewala also expressed his gratitude to the Haryana chief minister,who had — on the request of farmers and residents of Kaithal city and the district — sanctioned the toe wall at the cost of Rs 8.75 crore.

The decision will go a long way as people belonging to this district had seen the havoc of floods in 1995 and 2010,when the Kaithal-Patiala state highway remained cut off for more than four months and infrastructure worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged,added Surjewala.