Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that the Centre had deferred several major issues concerning the state, including sharing of river waters, inter-state rights and restructuring of Panjab University.
Mann’s remarks came a day after he attended the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Faridabad chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said he urged the Centre not to hurt Punjab’s sentiments by overlooking the state’s interests.
“After I raised the issues of Punjab and demanded to maintain the status quo, the Centre has postponed all the 11 issues related to Punjab,” Mann said during a press conference. He added that no one would be permitted to take away Punjab’s rights.
The Chief Minister said he strongly opposed all claims by neighbouring states seeking to curtail Punjab’s share. To tackle irrigation water scarcity in northern India, he proposed that if the Indus Waters Treaty is scrapped, 24 MAF of water from the Chenab river be diverted to Punjab for agricultural use across the region.
Mann further suggested renaming the SYL (Sutlej-Yamuna Link) canal as the YSL (Yamuna-Sutlej Link) canal to allow Yamuna water to flow into Punjab. He said water-sharing agreements must be reviewed every 25 years as neighbouring states have “made a mockery” of the issue leaving Punjab to suffer.
