Punjab Congress demands setting up new tribunal to access state water

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress today demanded setting up of another tribunal to assess the amount of water the state presently has access to and announced that it will hold a rally on Sunday to protest the government's "failure in protecting people's interest" on the SYL issue. At the Congress Legislative Party meeting, called to discuss the fallout of the Supreme Court ruling on the issue, it was decided the party will hold a rally on Sunday at Abohar - the tail-end of the SYL canal - to highlight the SAD's mishandling of the case in the court, a party spokesperson said. The task of organising the rally has been entrusted to state Congress vice president Sunil Jakhar. Asserting that the SYL verdict will seriously affect the lives of lakhs of people of Punjab, the CLP demanded setting up of another tribunal to assess the amount of water which the state currently has access to and reiterated that under the riparian principles, Haryana had no right to Sutlej river water. It was also decided that Congress leaders and workers will burn effigies of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in all 117 Assembly segments of the state on Saturday, he said. The CLP will seek a meeting with the President of India to apprise him about the problems the people of Punjab will face as a result of the apex court's verdict, the spokesperson said. Accusing Badal of "selling off the interest of Punjab", the CLP alleged that the SAD government has "completely failed" to save Punjab's water and had deprived the people of the state of their rightful dues. "While ignoring the interest of the people, Badal seems to have forgotten that his own constituency and village will also go dry as a result of the water crisis triggered by the SYL verdict," the CLP noted. Speaking to media persons, the party's Punjab chief Amarinder Singh said, "The party had decided to go to the people of Punjab on the issue and seek 2/3rd majority in the upcoming Assembly polls so that once in power it can come out with the requisite legislation to give people justice."