NEW DELHI: While a tripartite meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana was held here to review the procurement problem on the food front Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh urged the Center to resolve the problem.
Both the Chief Ministers stated they respected the cases of their states presenting them before the Prime Minister who is said to have given them a patient hearing.
Sources said Beant Singh had a separate meeting with P.V. Narasimha Rao and demanded the annulment of the Central Government notification of 1976 when he said unilaterally and without giving notice to Punjab apportioned the Sutlej Beas and Ravi waters.
That according to Singh was unfair to Punjab and unjust. He said according to the original State Reorganization Act of 1966 which brought Punjab into being only Beas were to be shared between Punjab and Haryana The succeeding notification not only apportioned the whole quantum of waters but also included Ravi in the package. He urged the Center to abide by the 1966 Act.
If the notification is not annulled the Center should divide the waters of Yamuna in the ratio of 6040 between the two states on the lines of other assets as Yamuna water used to be available to the erstwhile state of Punjab before 1966 Beant Singh contended.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal is demanding that cither Chandigarh be divided or Abohar and Fazilka or any other contiguous areas be transferred Beant Singh has said he is prepared to concede the satellite town of Mani Majra which is part of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and all other areas of the Union Ternitory which lie beyond the railway line and adjoin Mani Majra of the Union Territory and Panchkula in Haryana.
Singh has also suggested that the Center give monetary compensation for building the new Haryana capital.
The Punjab Government is of the view that the dispute over the transfer of Fazilka and Abohar which are not contiguous to Haryana can be settled and for that Punjab will be prepared to consider the transfer of 13 villages of Rajpura Tehsil adjoining the Naraingarh and Ambala tehsils of Ambala district of Haryana.
Beant Singh has also reiterated Punjab’s stand that if there were problems in apportioning waters between Haryana and Punjab the quantum of waters available to Rajasthan from Punjab be reduced as Rajasthan is not a riparian state nor is it able to utilize its share of water. The Punjab Chief Minister also demanded that the Center ensure that Punjabi be given the status of a second language.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 5, 1992
