Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Punjab and Haryana have a long and contentious history when it comes to sharing river waters. The water war between the states seems all set to intensify with the Badal Government deciding to mount a legal challenge to the construction of the Rs 260-crore Hansi-Bhutana Branch Multipurpose Canal.
The canal would draw water from the Beas for irrigating farm lands in Bhiwani and Mahendergarh districts of Haryana. Its construction is being challenged on the grounds that it would result in displacement of over one lakh people in 70 villages due to flooding. Moreover, over 29,000 acres of fertile land would be submerged and result in disruption of communication and existing canal irrigation system in Punjab, claims the state.
The Punjab Government would also contend that 0.8 Million Acre Feet (MAF) water that the canal would draw from the Beas would be a violation of the existing water sharing agreements.
According to top Government sources, Badal has given the go-ahead for filing the suit. The state is already fighting several legal battles pertaining to river waters including one on the constitutionality of the Punjab Termination of River Waters Agreements Act, 2004.
In the suit, which has already been vetted by senior Supreme Court advocate Dr Rajeev Dhawan, the Punjab Government would seek directions to the Haryana Government to stop further construction of the canal. Sources said senior SC lawyer Harish Salve and some other senior advocates have been retained by the Government for arguing the matter. On February 24 last year, the Punjab Government had written a letter to Haryana asking it to stop the construction of the canal but to no avail. Thereafter, the issue was again raised at an inter-state meeting on river water sharing in which the governments of Punjab and Haryana stuck to their respective positions.
When contacted, Punjab Advocate-General Hardev Singh Mattewal confirmed the Government move. He said the state “would use all legal options to safeguard its interests”. “Our case is ready and we are only waiting for the Supreme Court to re-open to file it. The Government is committed to safeguarding the interests of the state,” Mattewal told The Indian Express.
Incidentally, a number of petitions challenging the Haryana action are pending in the Punjab and Haryana HC.
