DW Bureau | New DelhiReiterating the firm commitment of the state government to safeguard the interests of Punjab and Punjabis, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said that as the custodian of the rights of the state and its people, he will not allow anyone to snatch them. Interacting with the media persons here today, the Chief Minister said that during the meeting of Northern Zonal Council (NZC) held on Monday all the member states had put forth their views. However, he said that ironically majority of the states including Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh were hell bent upon infringing the rights of the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is unfortunate that Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are unnecessary mounting pressure on the state for snatching our rights.

The Chief Minister said that irresponsible leadership of these states have made mock of the platform by making unjust demands seeking share in resources of the state and even river waters. He said that the in the NZC meeting all the member states put forth their views and as the head of the state he also presented the case of Punjab. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that out of total 28 agenda items 11 were related to the state and for the first time due to the strenuous efforts of the state government all of them were deferred.

The Chief Minister said that these issues were basically thorns sown by his predecessors- the Akalis, BJP and Congress before Punjab and its people. However, he said that his government has been making strenuous efforts to resolve these issues. Bhagwant Singh Mann categorically said that the state government is committed for safeguarding the interests of the state. 

The Chief Minister said that those who are making hue and cry over river waters must understand one thing that real time assessment of availability of river waters should be made for which the presence of water must be reviewed. Speaking about the river waters, capital, Panjab university and head works, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that paradoxically every other state is seeking share in rights of Punjab, which is illegitimate. He categorically said that the state government is duty bound to safeguard the interests of Punjab and no stone will be left unturned for it.

The Chief Minister quipped that Haryana has made a very made strange demand that Punjab should be refrained from constructing mini hydel projects on Bhakra Main Line (BML) as it will  hamper the flow of water. He said that it was surprising that the naive leadership of Haryana was indulging in such tantrums which was baseless and far away from facts.  Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the issues of Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) can be resolved only through Yamuna Satluj Link (YSL), which will ensure judicious use of Yamuna Water adding that the state has no surplus water to spare through SYL and there has been no scientific calculation regarding the availability of water

The Chief Minister categorically said that Punjab has no spare water to share with any state and there is no question about it. In the wake of the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, he said that there is a great opportunity for the resolution of water-related issues concerning the states being represented here. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that there is a possibility of linking the Chenab river to the rivers Ravi and Beas, over which we already have dams regulating the water flow downstream.The Chief Minister said that in linking river Chenab with rivers Ravi and Beas, the surplus water inflow could be utilized gainfully by the downstream states, including Punjab, for both power generation and irrigation purposes adding that the extra water will also help the State of Punjab to meet its shortfall of water, particularly in the Border areas. On the issue of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he had forcefully opposed the proposal to appoint a whole-time Member in BBMB from Rajasthan as the board is a body constituted under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, which concerns only the successor states of Punjab and Haryana. He said that Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are already represented as ex-officio members, and creating additional whole-time posts will only increase expenditure most of which is borne by Punjab without serving any useful purpose.The Chief Minister said that he had vehemently pleaded for handing over Chandigarh to the state of Punjab adding that after the reorganization of the state Indira Gandhi Agreement of 1970 explicitly stated that "the capital project area of Chandigarh will, as a whole, go to Punjab, which was a clear commitment from the Central Government. He said that the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, signed on July 24th, 1985, between the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, explicitly reaffirmed that Chandigarh will be transferred to Punjab. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann bemoaned that despite all promises Chandigarh was not transferred to Punjab which has bruised the psyche of every Punjabi.

On the issue of maintaining the status quo of the 60:40 ratio in the intake of service personnel from Punjab and Haryana in the functioning of the UT of Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said that it is the need of the hour. He said that it is a matter of grave concern that officers of the IAS and the PCS have been excluded from key positions in the Chandigarh administration. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that posts in departments such as Excise, Education, Finance, and Health are being opened to cadres like the state UT cadre (DANICS), thereby adversely affecting the role of the state of Punjab in the effective functioning of the UT administration.

The Chief Minister said that another linked issue is the posting of Punjab Cadre officers to the post of General Manager FCI (Punjab). He said that considering the consistently highest contribution of the state of Punjab towards the Central pool, the established trend of posting of an IAS officer from Punjab Cadre to the Regional Office of the FCI should not be disturbed by the Government of India. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the post of MD CITCO has been held by an IAS officer of Punjab cadre in the past however, UT state service officers are being posted to this position, which is against the convention laid down in the administration of the UT of Chandigarh based on a 60:40 ratio for intake of personnel from Punjab and Haryana.

The Chief Minister said that Punjab suffered massive losses of nearly Rs.13,500 crore but then also we are contributing 150 Lakh Metric Ton (LMT) of paddy in the national food pool. Bhagwant Singh Mann also opposed the proposal to transfer control of the Ropar, Harike and Ferozepur Headworks to BBMB as these Headworks are located entirely within Punjab and have always been physically operated and maintained by the State. He said that nowhere in India are Headworks of one State run by an external agency adding that in case the control of the headworks is also taken away from Punjab, the state will be facing huge difficulties in controlling floods.

The Chief Minister said that he has also raised the issues to provide financial assistance to carry out flood protection works on the Border Outpost (BOP) of BSF and the Army. He said that the proposal is yet to be approved by the Government of India adding that the Government of India should release the entire funds without putting any conditions as it was in the interest of national security. Meanwhile, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that University has a deep connect with the people of Punjab as after partition it moved from Lahore to Hoshiarpur in Punjab and then to Chandigarh, our capital.

The Chief Minister said that the states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, unilaterally, withdrew their colleges from Panjab University in 1973 and 1975 respectively and set up their own Universities and stopped funding Panjab University altogether. He said that it is only Punjab which supported and nurtured this University for the last 50 years but now at this stage they do not understand why Haryana wants to affiliate its colleges with Panjab University, when they are already affiliated for the last 50 years with Kurukshetra University a A+ NAAC accredited university. Bhagwant Singh Mann reiterated the stand of the Punjab Government that there should be no change in the status of Panjab University adding that Panjab University is our University and we will continue to support and fund it in future also.

 The Chief Minister said that bowing before the pressure of students, the Union government has taken back its notification but there is no clarity on it. He also slammed Haryana for trying to make backdoor entry into senate and syndicate adding that this will not be tolerated. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Haryana will not be allowed to succeed in its nefarious designs through such desperate and futile efforts.

On the occasion, Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and others were also present.