DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today called for reopening trade through the international border with Pakistan to rejuvenate the economy of the State even as she urged for applying a balm on the wounds of Punjabis by awarding Chandigarh to Punjab and giving the State complete control over its River waters. Participating in the debate on the budget in parliament, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said "it is of utmost importance to correct the historic wrongs committed against Punjab". She said Chandigarh was an inalienable part of Punjab and that the union territory should be transferred to the State at the earliest. She said it was unfortunate that this was not done despite a clear stipulation in this regard in the Rajiv - Longowal Accord. Mrs Badal said in the meantime Punjabi should be declared the official language of the UT and all postings in the UT should be done in the 60:40 ratio from Punjab and Haryana respectively. Speaking on the issue of River waters, the Bathinda MP said Congress governments discriminated against the State by first giving away half of the State's river waters to Rajasthan and then creating the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to give additional water to Haryana. She said as per the riparian principal Punjab should be given complete control over all its river waters. "Let us decide what we want to do with this water, including selling it". She also called for restoring Punjab's rights in the management of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). Speaking about the problems being faced by farmers in the border belt who had farmland across the barbed wire fence in Indian territory along the international border, Mrs Badal said "these farmers face severe restrictions while attending their fields". She said even though former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had given compensation to farmers tilling 21,000 acres of land beyond the barbed wire they had not been paid the compensation for the last two years. She also urged that education and health facilities be augmented in the border belt with a PGI Satellite Centre being established at Khadoor Sahib besides designating border districts as backward districts and to make them eligible for special grants. She also called for raising the capacity of the AIIMS, Bathinda to 300 beds. The Bathinda MP also demanded that the Maharashtra government withdraw its decision to reconstitute the Sri Hazur Sahib management board, saying the role of Sikh institutions like the SGPC and the Chief Khalsa Diwan had been marginalised. She also called for restoring the Gian Godri gurdwara in Uttarakhand, Dongmar Sahib in Sikkim and Mangu Math in Orissa to the Sikh community. She also called for raising the allowance of Anganwadi workers.
(editor@dailyworld.in)