Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann deserves a salute of the Sikh nation for highlighting the decades-long theft of Punjab's river water by the socalled Union Territory of Chandigarh
Chandigarh MUST pay cash for Punjab water, a la Delhi, which is also recommended by the recent World Bank report: "India's Water Economy - Bracing for a Turbulent Future."
Washington, D.C., Wednesday, October 19, 2005 - Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, President Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), deserves the grateful salute of every patriotic Punjabi for highlighting (on Sunday October 16, 2005) the issue of the theft of Sikh Homeland's river water when he warned Punjab's Amrinder Singh government against supplying arbitarily (as there is no written agreement or sanction of the Punjab State assembly) an extra 40 million gallons a day of water from the Bhakra canal, via a new pipeline, covertly constructed by the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The socalled Union territory of Chandigarh, it should be remembered has already been stealing, for the past few decades, (free of charge and without Punjab's permission) 120 million gallons of water a day, via three pipelines, from Kajoli headworks near Morinda in Punjab's Ropar district.We understand that Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann was reacting to a reported written communication from the Advisor of the Chandigarh Administration to the Chief Secretary Punjab, who had the chutzpah to demand that the Punjab government ask the BBMB (Bhakra Beas Management Board) to release an extra forty million gallons of water for Chandigarh through the recently completed fourth pipeline. Three similar illegal pipelines, each with a forty million gallons a day capacity, have already been drawing water for years, free of charge, from the Kajauli headworks for Chandigarh without Punjab's permission.
The Chandigarh administration is reported to be planning the construction of two more pipelines, each with forty million gallons capacity, in the next phase of Chandigarh's development, which would increase the pipelines to six, with a total capacity of 240 million gallons of water a day to meet its water-wasting habit of consuming 342 litres per capita per day - one of the highest water consumption rate in India. In comparison Bathinda uses 106 litres per day per capita, Bangalore uses 123 litres and Ahmedabad uses 145 litres per capita per day.
Reacting to the brazen demand of the Chandigarh administration to draw more FREE water from Punjab, Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has written to the Punjab Chief Secretary. In that letter Mr. Maan has asked the Punjab government to make it public if any agreement for supplying of Punjab's water to Chandigarh existed between Punjab and Chandigarh. In his letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary, Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, is reported in the media, to have steeled the spine of Punjab's Amrinder Singh government by pointing out the fact (www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051017/punjab1.htm#2) that, "Punjab should learn a lesson from Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who, has refused to supply water to the Sonia Gandhi water works in Delhi, which, was completed a year back and was lying unutilised for want of water. Even PM Dr Manmohan Singh has spoken to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav regarding this, but, he has refused to budge."
Readers may recall that in last week's Khalistan Calling (October 12, 2005) we had reported on the release, in New Delhi, (on October 05, 2005) of the World Bank's report headlined, "India's Water Economy - Bracing for a Turbulent Future," (www.worldbank.org/) which calls for cash compensation for those states (like Punjab) which give water to other non-riparian states in India.
The 95-page World Bank draft report, released in New Delhi, on Wednesday October 05, 2005, found fault with India's management of the water sector and said that, "unless India makes drastic changes, it will have neither the money to maintain and build new infrastructure nor water for its economy and people." Mr. John Briscoe, a former World Bank Senior Water Advisor for South Asia (and currently World Bank director for Brazil) said, during the October 05 New Delhi 'Report-release' function, that India would have to change from 'development to management' of water resources. Mr. Briscoe suggested that, "Instead, there should be clarity on the rules and the rights and entitlements of every State, every district, block and even individual farm holding. The Centre cannot override the interests of the States. But there should be clarity on the rules and entitlements and efficient use of the available waters. Those states who give water should be compensated in cash and there should be a contract between the two accompanied by proper regulations.'' Mr. John Briscoe also did not agree with the demand from some States (like Tamil Nadu, Haryana & Rajasthan) for nationalisation of river waters. "That was a wrong way to go," he said.
We believe Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann has raised an important, and very valid point, (and he speaks on behalf of the Sikh nation - 22 million captive in India and 3 million free in the diaspora - and its future generations) when he asserts that, "giving water to any state by the Punjab government was a legal and constitutional matter, but, it could not be given as per whims and fancies of any leader or government. The Captain Amarinder Singh government has passed the termination of Water Act, but, kept Section 5 in the act, with the connivance of the leader of opposition Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to legalise what previous leaders have already surrendered arbitrarily to Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh. This clause in the Act is totally outside the scope of law and the Constitution and it is unacceptable to the people of Punjab." Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann's letter to the Chief Secretary Punjab is therefore, very timely and right on the button.
Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann also questioned the Chandigarh administration and the Punjab Chief Secretary as to, "why more water should be supplied to Chandigarh from Kajauli headworks on Bhakra canal when the water actually belonged to farmers of Punjab and when no agreement between Punjab and Chandigarh existed for supply of water?" Opposing the proposed supply of forty million gallons of additional water to residents of Chandigarh from the Bhakra canal through the recently completed fourth pipeline, the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has threatened that farmers of Punjab would launch statewide public protests in case more water was supplied to Chandigarh by Punjab.
Media reports in India confirm that the Amrinder Singh government in the Punjab, to its credit, has responded quickly and positively, as it should have, to Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann's clarian call discussed in detail above. According to a report by Sarbjit Dhaliwal, in yesterday's (October 18, 2005) Tribune (www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051018/punjab1.htm#2) the Amrinder Singh government, to its credit, has refused more water for the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The Tribune report, quoting sources, reveals that there was no agreement between Punjab and Chandigarh for the supply of water from the Bhakra canal. The Tribune report also reveals that the Chandigarh UT Administration has never given any money to Punjab for the water supply it has been syphoning for years unlike the Delhi Government which has been paying money to the Punjab for the supply of water from the Bhakra canal. Punjabi leaders and Think Tanks, ought to investigate how and why Chandigarh UT has succeeded in syphoning 120 million gallons of water daily, for years, via three illegal pipelines, free of charge, while even the poor Punjab farmers have been made to pay for irrigation water? This farce, nay loot, must end.
We urge the Punjab leadership to get together and think of the natural wealth of the Punjab (ie., water) the Union Territory of Chandigarh has been looting over the decades while Badal/Beant/Barnala governments were slumbering. If Punjab were to charge Chandigarh (one tenth of what Malaysia's charges Singapore for water, which is US two cents, or about Rs. 1 per gallon) for the 120 million gallons a day, the daily income for Punjab calculated at the rate of ten paisa per gallon, would come to twelve million ruppees a day which multiplied by 365 is equivalent of over Rs. four billion annually or four hundred crore ruppees. We Punjabis ought to figure out the wealth Chandigarh has already syphoned from Punjab for the past thirty years. No wonder Punjabi farmers are committing suicide! The key, we believe, is unity in the Punjabi leadership to end this and other farcicalities.