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Journalism of Courage
The Centre and the Punjab government are heading for a confrontation over the Union Cabinet’s decision to go for a second Ravi-Beas link. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is all set to oppose the “national project”, citing the non-feasibility recommendation of the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Government sources said that Badal is expected to take up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz this week.
Punjab is blaming the Centre for keeping it in the dark over the proposed link in the state.
The second Ravi-Beas link was cleared under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Projects by the Union Cabinet — part of 14 projects worth Rs 53,200 crore — on February 7, apparently without consulting Punjab, the prime riparian state. Under the cleared scheme, the Centre will fund 90 per cent of the project and the remaining amount has to be met by the state concerned.
Badal raised the issue with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia during the state plan approval meetings on Tuesday. The matter was also taken up at a senior official level with the CWC the previous day with Punjab officials wanting to know the basis for the Cabinet decision.
Badal apparently told the Commission that the Centre unilaterally decided to construct the second link when issues relating to water sharing on the first Ravi-Beas link at Madhopur (built in the late 1950s) are still to be fully sorted out. The Ravi river leaves Indian territory at downstream Madhopur and in the Khemkaran sector.
Told that the second link is on the basis of a concept paper prepared by neighbouring Haryana, the Badal government is upset since water is a state subject and the rivers concerned are not flowing through Haryana. Neither Himachal Pradesh nor Punjab were consulted or taken into confidence over the proposed project.
At the heart of the proposed linkage lies the plan not to allow surplus water during the monsoons to flow out of India and instead divert it to needy states like Haryana through a second barrage.
But this is easier said than done as no location for the proposed barrage has been finalised and a second barrage cannot be constructed at Madhopur.
This was amplified by Badal at the Planning Commission meeting when he reportedly said it was not Punjab’s case to send water to Pakistan.
It is learnt that Badal plans to write to the PM, pointing out that the CWC finds the proposed second link non-feasible due to the topography of the area. Given the political sensitivity of the water sharing issue, Punjab will ask the Centre to explain in detail the need for such a project. This has already been conveyed to the CWC top brass.
As far as the Punjab government is concerned, they see the proposed link as a ploy by
Soz, who is also the J&K PCC chief, to get additional water for his home state.
