SYL survey order 'anti-state', Punjab farmers to protest on October 9

Chandigarh, October 6

Farmer unions have opposed the Supreme Court’s directions on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal, asking the state government to conduct a survey of the land meant for its construction.

Calling this development as anti-Punjab, the Kirti Kisan Union has called people to protest on October 9 against this decision of the Supreme Court on the SYL canal. State president of the Kirti Kisan Union Nirbhai Singh Dhudike has said the state did not have even a single drop of water to spare. The union will not allow the construction of the canal. If a survey team sets foot in the state, it will be opposed.

Meeting tomorrow

A meeting of leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha is scheduled for October 8, where the issue will be discussed and a formal decision on joint protests will be taken.

Raminder Singh Patiala, Press Secretary, Kirti Kisan Union

State general secretary of the union Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala and press secretary Raminder Singh Patiala, in a statement, said the Central Government had always ignored Punjab by neglecting the sensitive issue of river waters. The successive state governments had also played politics on this issue. Today, when Punjab was going through a serious water crisis, steps were being taken to grab the river waters of Punjab.

Meanwhile, the Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal), the All-India Kisan Federation, the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, the Bharti Kisan Union (Mansa) and the Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee expressed concern about the directions of the Supreme Court to the Centre and state government for conducting a survey for the construction of the SYL canal, which had generated resentment among the people.

Balbir Singh Rajewal, Prem Singh Bhangu, Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, Bogh Singh Mansa and Harjinder Singh Tanda slammed the Punjab Government in a joint statement for taking a compromising stand on the sensitive issue for its narrow political gains in Haryana and Rajasthan. There was no rationale for constructing the canal when Punjab had no water to share.

They said water is state subject which means that the Centre had no legal right to pass executive orders and decisions on water issues and, therefore, the Central Government’s interference was illegal.