Chandigarh, March 22
The water distribution pattern in Haryana is set to change.

While replying to the debate on the Governor’s Address delivered in the Assembly earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reiterated that his government would ensure the equitable distribution of water among various regions of the state.

Earlier, the Irrigation Minister, Mr Ajay Singh Yadav, also disclosed that the government was considering constructing a separate channel on the pattern of the Narwana canal to supply water to the southern districts such as Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurgaon, etc.

Mr Hooda said the existing pattern of distribution of water received by Haryana from Punjab was “unjust”. “ The state government would do everything in its capacity to make Haryana’s share of the river water flow through the Sutlej-Yamuna link canal. But at the same time “we must not also discriminate against some areas of our own state when the river water available to us is distributed”, the Chief Minister said.

He added that discrimination against certain areas of Haryana started in 1977 when the Ravi-Beas water had started coming to Haryana. “ I have a lot of regard for the late Mr Devi Lal who was a freedom fighter and comrade in arms of my father. But the fact is that Mr Devi Lal was the Chief Minister of Haryana when discrimination in water distribution started”, Mr Hooda stated. He said it was to provide its share of water to the southern districts that an MLA from the south, Captain Yadav, had been made the Irrigation Minister.

Mr Hooda claimed that the late Indira Gandhi, when she was the Prime Minister, first took the initiative for getting the SYL canal constructed. Underscoring the Congress party’s role on the issue of the SYL canal, Mr Hooda further claimed that the Rajiv-Longwal Accord had formed the basis of the Supreme Court verdict on the construction of the remaining portion of the SYL canal in Punjab territory. On Punjab’s offer to Haryana to hold negotiations on the SYL issue, Mr Hooda said the Punjab Government, after having passed the Termination of Water Sharing Agreements Act, should not expect Haryana to respond to its call for holding a dialogue on the SYL issue.

Reacting to Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal’s and Independent legislator Tejinder Singh Mann’s outbursts against the “misdeeds” of the previous Om Prakash Chautala-led regime in Haryana, Mr Hooda said if substantial charges were made against the previous regime, these would be looked into. “Neither big sharks nor small fry will be spared if they are found guilty”, Mr Hooda said.

He, however, appealed to the aggrieved legislators not to get obsessed with the past but look at the future and think about how to take Haryana on the path of all-round development. Mr Hooda did not spell it out in clear terms but it was obvious that he did not think much of the former Congress regimes of Haryana, not to speak of the periods when the INLD or the HVP were at the helm in the state.

“We need a system change. Our main concern should be how to eradicate corruption and also rid people of fear of the authorities. My appeal to my colleagues in the Cabinet is whenever they take a decision they must think how the poorest of the poor can benefit from the step”, Mr Hooda said.