Chandigarh, Oct. 27 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday asserted that not a single drop of the state's rightful river water would be surrendered as the Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution reaffirming Punjab's water rights.
Participating in discussions on river waters and other issues on the final day of the Assembly session, Mann said the government would pursue all legal and other avenues to protect the state's interests. He questioned Haryana's claim over Ravi-Beas waters, arguing that Punjab's share in Yamuna waters was being ignored despite the river being part of undivided Punjab.
The chief minister also questioned Rajasthan's continued use of Punjab's water without payment, claiming the state was entitled to Rs 1.44 lakh crore in royalty. He said royalty payments for river water had stopped after 1960, despite Punjab's contribution to the country's food security.
Mann said Punjab would no longer tolerate discrimination in the distribution of its natural resources. He maintained that water was a state subject and that control of headworks rested with the states.
Highlighting irrigation improvements since his government took office in 2022, Mann said canal water access had increased from 22 per cent to nearly 80 per cent of agricultural fields. The government had laid 14,000 km of underground pipelines, cleaned rajbahas and revived canals and watercourses to ensure supplies reached tail-end fields.
He said the government had revived the Kandi Canal after nearly four decades and operationalised eight new canals in Pathankot, Amritsar and Gurdaspur.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.