Delhi February 23 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday reiterated that Punjab had no water to share with any other state, so the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal would never become a reality. The state government was duty-bound to safeguard interests of Punjab, he said.
Dedicating to the people the newly constructed subdivisional complex, built at a cost of around Rs 6 crore, at Bhawanigarh, he said as the state had no spare water to share with any other state, so there was no question of sharing even a single drop of water with anyone.
Mann said he recently urged the Ravi-Beas Tribunal to deliver justice to the people of the state by making fresh reassessment of river water. He said most of the blocks of the state were overexploited and the groundwater situation was grim. As most of the river resources had dried up, so it needed more water to meet its irrigation needs, he added.
Mann also flagged off 216 machines meant for cleaning sewers and roads, including super suction machines, worth Rs 14.31 crore. Sangrur has been made a cluster to send these machines to other districts for cleaning sewers and roads. In all, 730 such machines have been purchased by the government so far at a cost of Rs 40 crore.
The CM said the state government had adopted zero tolerance policy against scams and corruption. He said deportations by the US were an eye-opener for all. Instead of going abroad in search of greener pastures, the youth of the state must work hard here only, he said.
A couple recently returned from Canada to join government service here. The state government would stand by with the Punjabis deported from the USA recently, he added. Mann said the government had already initiated steps against illegal agents by registering cases against them.
The CM also handed over a cheque for Rs 1 crore to the family of Punjab Police Constable Harshveer Singh, who died in the line of duty while serving in the Sadak Surkhya Force.
Summary: CM Mann asserts that the SYL Canal will never be realized, stating there is no water to share between Punjab and Haryana.