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Punjab has no surplus water, says Badal

LUDHIANA, JULY 19. Punjab has no surplus waters and the available resources were just sufficient for the requirement of agricultural and industrial needs of the people of the State, according to the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, Parkash Singh Badal. The Akalis would not allow the Congress government in Punjab to retrace or go back on the stand taken by the Assembly under any pressure of the Congress High Command or the Central Government, he told reporters here.

Mr. Badal's was giving his reaction to a statement by the Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, after his appointment as in charge of the Congress affairs in the State. Mr. Mukherjee had criticised the Assembly action in abrogating all water agreements with the neighbouring States.

Mr. Badal said that when Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, laid the foundation of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the Congress praised her to the skies. The Congress opposed the Akalis when the State Government led by him (Mr. Badal) filed a writ against the SYL canal in the Supreme Court, he added. Later, under the Chief Ministership of Darbara Singh, the Congress withdrew the writ at the decision stage. Now the Congress was opposing the SYL canal in Punjab. "God only knows if they will stick to the decision or alter it under pressure," Mr. Badal said, and added that his party was determined to not allow a single drop of Punjab water to follow out of the State.

He said Punjab was facing a drought-like situation but the State Government appeared totally oblivious of the situation. They had not even written a single word to the Union government to take any remedial measures or to pay compensation to the hard hit farmers. In reply to a question regarding his party's relations with the BJP vis-a-vis SYL canal, he said, he fully appreciated the Punjab State unit BJP for the constructive role on the matter. He, however said that water being a State issue, the Akali Dal had no objection to the Haryana BJP unit taking a different stand in their own interest.

Mr. Badal also expressed anger at the ``miserable electric power situation'' in the state. The Punjab government, he charged, had done nothing in the last two-and-a-half years except make hollow statements and empty promises.

PTI

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