Punjab must remember sacred traditions of Gurus while addressing water disputes: Nayab Saini

Chandigarh, Nov 17 (PTI) Punjab must remember the sacred traditions of the Gurus while addressing water disputes, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday said, pointing out that the state is not receiving its full share of water from the neighbouring state due to the non-construction of the SYL canal.

Saini was speaking at the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Faridabad's Surajkund which was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

During the meeting, Saini said that sustained cooperation between states is extremely important for the progress of the nation.

By pooling our resources, sharing knowledge and adopting each other's best practices, we can turn the vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' into reality, he said.

Saini said Haryana has made several successful efforts in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve of 'Viksit Bharat 2047'.

According to a Haryana government statement, Saini said while discussing key agenda items that proper arrangements must be ensured for supplying each state its rightful share of water.

Haryana has consistently been giving Delhi more water than its own share. However, due to the non-construction of the SYL canal, Haryana is not receiving its full share of water from Punjab. Once Haryana receives its rightful share of water through SYL, Rajasthan will also get its due share, he said.

Saini said that Punjab is the land of Gurus, the sacred soil where Bhai Kanahaiya served even enemy soldiers on the battlefield by giving them water. Through the Council, he urged Punjab to remember the great traditions of the Gurus while addressing the water dispute.

Notably, Bhai Kanahiya, who was a disciple of Guru Teg Bahadur, carried a 'mashk' (leather pouch filled with water) on his shoulder in a battle in Anandpur Sahib and served water to the wounded without any discrimination.

Saini also said that water is a shared resource and keeping it clean is the collective responsibility of all states. Recalling that rivers are revered as mothers in Indian culture, he specifically mentioned the Yamuna and assured that Haryana is making every effort to keep the river clean.

Notably, the SYL canal issue has been a bone of contention between the two states for the past several years.

The canal was conceptualised for the effective sharing of water between the two states from the Ravi and Beas rivers.

The project envisages a 214-kilometre canal, of which a 122-kilometre stretch was to be constructed in Punjab and the remaining 92 kilometres in Haryana.

Haryana has completed the project in its territory but Punjab, which launched the work in 1982, shelved it.

Haryana was carved out of Punjab on November 1, 1966.

Referring to Panjab University, Chandigarh, Saini said that the Haryana government wishes to contribute to it. If some colleges of Haryana get affiliated to the Panjab University, it will benefit both the university and the students of Haryana, he said.

Notably, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had recently recalled that over two years back, he took a stand against a proposal of affiliation of Haryana colleges with Panjab University, saying the Chandigarh-based university has always been connected with Punjab's legacy and heritage.

Saini, while touching upon other issues at the meeting, said that ensuring the safety of children is everyone's responsibility.

With the implementation of the three new criminal laws in Haryana, cases under the POCSO Act are being disposed of more swiftly, he said.

The chief minister said that to ensure affordable healthcare for every citizen, the state government strengthened Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana by integrating its own Chirayu Yojana with it. This is an example of accelerated development under the 'double-engine' government, he said.

He said that banking facilities are now available even in the smallest villages of Haryana.

Saini said that Haryana has submitted detailed comments on each agenda item to the Council.

He expressed the hope that the deliberations of this meeting would promote cooperative federalism, help build consensus on inter-state and Centre-state issues and make the Northern Zonal Council meeting an example of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat'.

Chief Ministers Saini, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan), Rekha Gupta (Delhi), Omar Abdullah (Jammu and Kashmir), Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh Gulab Chand Kataria, Lieutenant Governors Manoj Sinha (J-K), V K Saxena (Delhi) and Kavinder Gupta (Ladakh) attended the meeting. PTI SUN VSD KSS KSS