Old rivals Punjab, Haryana spar over Hansi-Butana canal

July 01, 2011 12:20:31 AM

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

The unusual heavy showers in the region in June and the possibility of early flood have led to a major tug of war between the two old rivals – Punjab and Haryana. This time it is on the issue of a canal wall which Punjab says has the potential to flood its farmland while Haryana maintains that its construction is necessary to prevent its low lying areas from flooding.

Reminiscent of the Satluj-Yamuna Link canal (SYL) of yesteryears, the issue of Hansi-Butana canal threatens to snowball into a major controversy in the poll bound Punjab, ruled by the SAD-BJP combine and Haryana ruled by arch rival, Congress.

The SYL issue was central to the dispute of the two states for decades so much so that it even became an emotional issue in Punjab and during the days of militancy, the extremist leaders often cited it as a “discriminatory factor” against the Centre to mobilise the people.

As elections draw closer, Punjab has raised the tempo and the SAD leaders are again exploiting the sentiments of the farmers alleging that the Congress led central government and the party run Haryana have completely ignored the interests of Punjab and hundreds of farmers are set to face flood in Patiala district due to the construction of a concrete wall on the Hansi-Butana canal on the borders of the two state.

The latest bone of contention between the two states is the 3.75 km concrete wall, built by Haryana on the Hansi-Butana canal. While Haryana insists that it is being built on their side of the border to protect the fields from being submerged every year due to the monsoons, Punjab says that the wall would have severe implications, flooding 20,00 acres of farmland affecting 30 odd villages.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday sought the intervention of his Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda to immediately issue instructions to the concerned authorities to stop the work on Hansi-Butana canal. “The canal had been constructed without any technical study on the aspect of likely impact of blockade of sheet flow of flood waters caused by the construction of the embankments on the state of Punjab,” Badal said in a statement. The CM said the work has been undertaken without any concurrence of the Punjab government.

Playing the political card, Punjab Irrigation minister J S Sekhon said that the Centre was supporting the Haryana government and the interests of Punjab have been completely ignored. “This area suffered a lot during the flood last year. Natural flow of water is being obstructed. All political parties in Punjab should unite against this wall and approach the central government,” he said.

Joining issues with his Punjab counterpart, Haryana Irrigation Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha said, “The issue is being politicised”. He said the hue and cry over the issue was entirely due to the impending elections.

The confrontation between the two states on water is almost as old as the creation of the states itself in 1966, after Haryana was carved out from Punjab. Both being agricultural state, sharing river water became a major issue of confrontation since then.

Earlier this year, Punjab CM Badal announced in the State Assembly that his government would not share “even a single drop” of water with other states. Not to be left behind, Hooda replied back saying that they would not allow anybody to deprive their rights of having waters of Ravi and Beas rivers.

The Haryana Assembly also proposed for a solution to the SYL canal dispute at the earliest, and the operationalisation of Hansi-Butana link (HBL) canal. The state government has also sought intervention of the Centre saying Punjab had flouted the 1981 pact and agreements related to Ravi-Beas Water Treaty Act.

Now with politics coming into play, the Hansi-Butana canal is set to become a major poll issue in Punjab. While the presidential reference on the complicated SYL issue is pending in the apex court for several years now, the latest row on the canal too has reached the Supreme Court even though no orders have been passed as of now. But the two states continue to take sharp barbs at each other for consumption amongst their respective support base.

(July 1. 2011) http://dailypioneer.com/349775/Old-rivals-Punjab-Haryana-spar-over-Hansi-Butana-canal.html