Chandigarh rights and water issue back in focus; 3 CMs hold talks with Amit Shah

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu) – The 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council was held in Surajkund, Haryana. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini stated that mutual cooperation among states is essential for national progress.

The Chief Minister said that Haryana is consistently giving more water to Delhi than its share, while Punjab is not receiving its statutory share due to the lack of construction of the SYL canal. He urged Punjab to remember the great traditions of the Gurus when discussing water disputes, stating that water is a shared resource, the cleanliness and availability of which all states are responsible. Saini suggested that if some Haryana colleges were affiliated with Panjab University, Chandigarh, it would benefit both the university and the state's students. He pointed out that the government had fulfilled 47 of the 217 promises made in the manifesto within one year. Referring to the launch of the 'Din Dayal Lado Laxmi' app and the transfer of Rs 2,100 to 522,162 women beneficiaries, he said that 8.05 lakh applications had been received so far. Saini said that Haryana had given detailed comments on all agenda points and expressed hope that this meeting would give new direction to cooperative federalism and reach consensus on resolving inter-state issues. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday reiterated his claim on Punjab University, river water and advocated a genuine federal structure in the country at the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council here.

The Chief Minister said that the Constitution clearly demarcates the areas in which the central government and states have jurisdiction. He said that federalism is one of the fundamental pillars of our Constitution, but unfortunately, there has been a tendency towards centralization of power over the last 75 years.

The Chief Minister said that the Indira Gandhi Accord of 1970, following the reorganization of the state, clearly stated, "The Chandigarh Capital Project Area, as a whole, would go to Punjab, which was the unequivocal commitment of the Central Government." He said that the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, signed between then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sant Harchand Singh Longowal on July 24, 1985, clearly confirmed that Chandigarh would be transferred to Punjab. However, Mann expressed regret that despite all the promises, Chandigarh was not transferred to Punjab, which hurt the sensibilities of every Punjabi.

Raising the issue of maintaining the 60:40 ratio in recruitment of Army personnel from Punjab and Haryana in the functioning of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said it was a matter of serious concern that IAS and PCS officers were being kept out of key positions in the Chandigarh Administration.

The Chief Minister said another related issue was the appointment of Punjab cadre officers to the post of General Manager of FCI (Punjab). He said that given Punjab's consistent highest contribution to the central pool, the Government of India should not buck the established trend of appointing an IAS officer from the Punjab cadre to the FCI regional office.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu strongly advocated for Himachal Pradesh's legitimate right to a 7.19 percent share in Chandigarh's land and assets, as mandated by the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. He also cited the 2011 Supreme Court decision, which stated that Himachal Pradesh, based on the population ratio transfer under the Punjab Reorganization Act, is entitled to a 7.19 percent share in united Punjab, and this is also the basis for its legitimate share in the power generated by the BBMB. Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was addressing the 32nd meeting of the Northern Regional Council, chaired by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, in Faridabad, Haryana on Monday. He also demanded the release of pending dues from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision and the appointment of a permanent member from Himachal Pradesh to the BBMB. He also urged the implementation of the policy of providing the state with a 12 percent free royalty on centrally-managed hydropower projects and increasing Himachal's free royalty to 50 percent on projects where costs have already been recovered. He urged that this issue be placed on the agenda of the next meeting of the Northern Zonal Council to ensure that Himachal Pradesh receives its legitimate dues.