Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], May 3 (HBTV): Amid the escalating water-sharing dispute between Haryana and Punjab, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday said that politics should not be played over the issue of drinking water. Expressing dismay, he stated that Haryana is only asking for its rightful share and not for any excess.
Saini criticised the politicisation of the issue and said he had not imagined that the situation would deteriorate to such an extent.
‘Politics shouldn't be done in the name of drinking water... We didn't know that politics could go to this extent that a question mark arises on drinking water... We are not asking this canal for one person, but it is for society and 2 crore 80 lakh people of Haryana... We are not asking for any extra water... We are asking for the same ratio of water which used to be given to Haryana earlier... We will sit and talk with all the leaders. It is unfortunate that drinking water is being stopped,’ CM Saini told reporters.
The comments follow Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's concerns, raised on May 1, about declining water levels in key reservoirs. Mann stated that the Pong Dam, Bhakra Dam, and Ranjit Sagar Dam were currently 32 feet, 12 feet, and 14 feet below their respective levels from the previous year.
CM Mann had strongly opposed the Bhakra Beas Management Board's (BBMB) directive to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, citing Punjab's own challenges with declining groundwater and the upcoming paddy sowing season.
In response to these concerns, Mann convened an all-party meeting on May 2 to discuss Punjab’s water rights. A special session of the Punjab Assembly is also likely to be held on Monday to table a proposal addressing the issue.
Additionally, the Punjab Congress unit has come out in support of the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government.
‘We never stopped the water for 10 years... But if there is a water shortage in Punjab, it is natural that we will prioritise Punjab... Maybe Delhi and Haryana need more water, but we have already released their share of water. We are with the people of Punjab and the Punjab government on this topic. If they will steal our water too, then what will be left of the state?’ Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said on Thursday.
(ANI)