CHANDIGARH: Calling it a “historic blunder”, Jago Punjab president and former Union Govt secretary Swarn Singh Boparai today demanded that the waters of Jhelum, Chenab and Indus be allocated to Punjab. Addressing a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club, Boparai, who was earlier the principal secretary of Punjab irrigation department & VC Punjabi Universiry said 80 per cent of the waters of these rivers were wrongfully given to the neighbouring country under the Indus Water Treaty, which has now lapsed.
With the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty against Pakistan, Punjab has revived fresh hopes of regaining its rightful share of the river waters.
“Punjab is on the verge of becoming a desert. Diversion of the waters of Jhelum, Chenab and Indus to Punjab is essential to undo the grave injustice done to the state, ” he said. He accused the central government of using “malpractices and coercive tactics” in the past to deprive Punjab of its only major natural resource—river water. “The exploitation of Punjab’s river water is a deliberate injustice. Returning the river water to Punjab is not only justified but also essential for the survival and prosperity of the region, ” Boparai said. He urged immediate action to correct the historical wrongs and secure Punjab’s agricultural and ecological future.
Jago Punjab, a group of former bureaucrats, ex-servicemen, police officers, doctors and social activists also submitted a formal charge sheet accusing the Union Govt of violating the spirit of federalism, state autonomy and equitable development. Led Boparai, the group highlighted Punjab’s exclusive riparian rights over the Satluj, Beas and Ravi rivers, as enshrined in Article 246 (Part XI), entry 17 of List II of the Constitution. They pointed out that Rajasthan, a non-riparian state was allocated 8 MAF of Ravi-Beas waters under a 1955 agreement signed under extreme pressure without proper ratification by the Punjab Assembly, violating Article 299.
Rajasthan continues to draw excess water without paying Punjab its due costs, against the conditions laid down. The group also raised concerns over Punjab’s rapid desertification, groundwater depletion and the unfair secrecy maintained over the 1955 water allocation.
They vowed to continue their democratic struggle to secure Punjab’s rightful share and to expose the distortion of India’s federal framework.