Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The Punjab Congress today called upon state Bharatiya Janata party President Kamal Sharma to seek commitment from Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the transfer of Chandigarh to the state in accordance with the Punjab Accord and resolution of other related issues in that very spirit.
In a statement, Congress MLAs including Lal Singh ,Gurkirat Singh and Parminder Singh said rather than playing to the gallery, Sharma should take it up with his party which was now ruling at the centre and the two concerned states which were party to the dispute.
They recalled that then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had taken this unprecedented initiative of signing this Accord with Sant Harchand Singh Longowal which Akali Dal leader and now fifth time Chief Minister had tried to sabotage at the very first stage itself. It was appreciable that the BJP in Punjab was now desirous of this accord being implemented.
They observed the sincerity of the party would be proved in case it took it up with the Prime Minister and succeeded in seeking his public commitment to facilitate the transfer of the city which planned as the capital of Punjab in a fixed time frame. Haryana should be extended all help in building a new capital which would also give a further boost to the economy of the neighbouring state.
These leaders said similarly, both Punjab and Haryana could resolve the river waters dispute through bilateral settlement rather than waiting for the judicial verdict which might take years. They said all the water from the Punjab river system was being utilised by the three states and it was mainly during monsoons that water was flowing down the rivers to Pakistan. Rather than making the river waters an emotive issue, the approach should be pragmatic with major emphasis on water management techniques in a coordinated manner in all the areas being fed by the Punjab rivers, including Rajasthan. It was too well known a fact that seepage from the Rajasthan Canal had created havoc in the Punjab areas. It was for this reason that a comprehensive water management plan should be evolved while resolving this issue.
They said as a first step, announcement should be made by the Honorable Prime Minister in his upcoming visit on 26.10.2014about the transfer of Chandigarh without any delay.
