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| Punjab won't get an inch of land for Sharpur barrage until it compensates our losses: Taj | | 'Casual approach adopted on Ravi water pact' | | KUNAL SHRIVATSA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 14:
In what could be seen on a warning note, PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-din asserted that J&K will not give an inch of land to Punjab government for the construction of Shahpur-Kandi barrage on Ranjit Sagar Dam until and unless the neighbouring state duly compensated the losses accrued by the State.
He said this on the floor of the House today while replying to the debate on Demands for Grants for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control.
While referring to issues of Ravi Water sharing agreement with Punjab and the management of water resources of the State, Taj Mohi-ud-din said it appeared that everything had been taken casually.
And to make his point , he quoted a popular Urdu proverb, “Andhe Ki Biwi Khuda Ke Hawale.”
PHE Minister said on account of the various issues related to an accord reached between the two states to share Ravi river’s water viz a viz payment of other damages due to transfer of state land to Punjab for construction of Ranjit Sagar Dam, the state no more intends to provide any land to Punjab for breach of trust.
Taj said, “As per an agreement we had to provide 1500 acres of land needed by Punjab government to construct Shahpur-Kandi barrage but the State would not give an inch of its land to neighbouring state if they did not compensate us for the agricultural losses, amounting to Rs 6600 crore, accrued due to the transfer of our fertile land to facilitate the construction of Ranjit Sagar Dam …. The denial of Punjab government to give our share of 0.65 MAF of water from River Ravi is another issue which needs to be compensated as so far we have to bear losses worth Rs 2500 crore.”
“We planned to construct Ravi-Tawi Canal way back in 1973 to provide water to Kandi belt of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts… However, he said when the J&K constructed canal upto Lakhanpur, Punjab Government came with the plan of constructing joint Ranjit Sagar Dam, which was build on the 65 per cent area of the State…. They entered into an agreement with us in 1979 in which it was settled that the Punjab government would give power, water and jobs to the people of our state whose lands were acquired to build the dam but despite of the fact that 65 percent of the dam area is ours we got nothing.” he added
However, the Minister said the State Government has now decided to construct the balance portion of the Ravi-Tawi canal from Satbain to collect its share of water from river Ravi for which a DPR has been prepared and the Government is getting complete report of the Rs 273 crore project by the end of this month.
Terming the Water Resources Management Act 2010 as a landmark step in managing the state’s water resources in a better way and preserving them, Taj said it is hoped that the State would earn revenue of Rs 863 crore annually as user charges from several power projects operating in the State. He regretted that while setting up hydel projects like Salal, Dul Hasti and Uri-I, no formal Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed with the State Government but now section 102 of the Act makes it mandatory for the companies to register themselves with the State Water Resources Regulatory Authority.
“Land was transferred to NHPC without having any MoUs neither there was any cabinet sanction ….. We pondered over the issue and came with a way out of preserving our water resources…. We decided to bring Water Resources Management Act …. With the introduction of the Act, the license would now be issued only after a MoU.” PHE Minister informed
Taj Mohi-ud-Din informed the House that the provisions of Indus Water Treaty are a stumbling block for the State to utilize its full hydel and irrigation potential.
The Minister also informed that a Rs 1100 crore project to lift water from Chenab River is in the offing to meet the ever growing potable water needs of Jammu.
Later, the House passed the demand of grants amounting to Rs 143600.10 lakhs for meeting the expenditure of the departments under the charge of the Minister for the year 2011-12 by voice vote.
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