Chandigarh July 7:
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Hansi Bhutana Link (HBL) canal.
Badal in his letter to PM, appealed him to impress upon the Haryana Government to stop its unilateral action of going ahead with the proposed toe wall and other measures which could cause big tragedy in the State. He urged Prime Minister to depute a team of Senior Central Government officials to visit and access the ground situation so that he could be well acquainted with the true facts of the case.
The CM referred to an urgent matter endangering and affecting the health and safety of a large number of the citizens of Punjab which have been threatened as a result of unilateral action of the State of Haryana by constructing Hansi Branch-Butana Branch Multipurpose Link Channel (MPLC) in April, 2005. The canal has been constructed without any technical studies on the aspect of blockade of sheet flow of flood waters caused by the construction of its high embankments leading to submergence of agricultural land and population of Patiala district.
Badal also informed that Punjab had filed original suit under Article 131 of the Constitution before the Supreme Court and an order was passed on August 17, 2007 restraining Haryana from rupturing the Bhakra Main Line Canal and consequently the canal could not be made operational. The suit is still pending in the Supreme Court.
It was further stated in the letter that the apprehension of Punjab unfortunately proved to be correct in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010, when people suffered due to submergence of its areas by blockade of sheet flow of flood waters by MPLC. Badal also apprised the Prime Minister that during July 2010 floods, there was huge accumulation of flood waters due to synchronisation of flood discharges in River Ghaggar and its tributaries and the high embankment of Hansi-Butana Canal prevented the free flow of these flood waters.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Hansi Bhutana Link (HBL) canal.
Badal in his letter to PM, appealed him to impress upon the Haryana Government to stop its unilateral action of going ahead with the proposed toe wall and other measures which could cause big tragedy in the State. He urged Prime Minister to depute a team of Senior Central Government officials to visit and access the ground situation so that he could be well acquainted with the true facts of the case.
The CM referred to an urgent matter endangering and affecting the health and safety of a large number of the citizens of Punjab which have been threatened as a result of unilateral action of the State of Haryana by constructing Hansi Branch-Butana Branch Multipurpose Link Channel (MPLC) in April, 2005. The canal has been constructed without any technical studies on the aspect of blockade of sheet flow of flood waters caused by the construction of its high embankments leading to submergence of agricultural land and population of Patiala district.
Badal also informed that Punjab had filed original suit under Article 131 of the Constitution before the Supreme Court and an order was passed on August 17, 2007 restraining Haryana from rupturing the Bhakra Main Line Canal and consequently the canal could not be made operational. The suit is still pending in the Supreme Court.
It was further stated in the letter that the apprehension of Punjab unfortunately proved to be correct in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010, when people suffered due to submergence of its areas by blockade of sheet flow of flood waters by MPLC. Badal also apprised the Prime Minister that during July 2010 floods, there was huge accumulation of flood waters due to synchronisation of flood discharges in River Ghaggar and its tributaries and the high embankment of Hansi-Butana Canal prevented the free flow of these flood waters.
