CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Janata Dal president, Virinder Singh on Wednesday, expressed the apprehension that the Congress govt at the Center may simply abandon the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal project as part of some kind of understanding with the Akalis in Punjab,
Addressing a news conference here, Virinder Singh, former irrigation and power minister of Haryana, expressed the view that the budgetary provision for the project must have been left out intentionally and not as an oversight as the Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal, has quoted the union finance minister.
Virinder Singh charged the Bhajan Lal govt in the state with bartering away the interests of the farmers by not even registering a verbal or written protest against the omission of an allocation for SYL. He also ridiculed the govt here for not attempting to meet the Prime Minister, or holding some kind of a demonstration against it,
The JD president also criticized the attempt to divide the farmers by contemplating a dual price policy for fertilizers, and said practically no farmer in the country could afford to be called well-to-do in view of the land ceiling. Given the poor irrigation and power in Haryana, anyone cultivating even 18 acres would be doing an uneconomical but essential activity he elaborated.
Asked about the progress of the SYL construction during his term in office and during the tenure of Devi Lal as Chief Minister of Haryana and later Deputy Prime Minister, Virinder Singh admitted that not much progress had been made. But that does not mean the present rulers can say they will not take up the task of the SYL’s expeditious completion and commissioning, he added. Virinder Singh announced that a meeting of the state Janata Dal workers would take up the issues at Rohtak on Aug.9, when Ajit Singh will address them. They will also participate in a rally at the boat Club on August 14.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 16, 1991
