Updated: December 7, 2020 7:12:41 am
Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal. (Photo: Facebook @Jai Prakash Dalal)
Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal on Sunday appealed to those “participating” and “supporting” the farmers’ protest to include the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project issue on their list of demands.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Dalal said: “It is true that the movement has started from our neighboring state, most of the participation has also been from there. Today some people in our state too, some Khaps, former senior ministers … independent MLAs, are supporting the movement … the emotion of each person is linked to the farmer, each person says that I am with the farmer. Even I say that first I am a farmer, then a minister, I am also with the farmer “.
“But for farmers in Haryana, right now, if there is a major problem, it is water for irrigation. All other problems are secondary … In 7 to 8 districts of southern Haryana, the situation is such that the water levels have dropped, somewhere 400 feet … 500 feet … 800 feet, the water it’s over … If there is no water, how will the crops come? If there is no harvest, who will decide the price? So, to all the people who participate in this movement, who support it, who have a direct or indirect role, I have a request, that a line be added to the demands of this movement, that the SYL channel of Haryana be built ”, said.
When asked about claims made by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda earlier this week that the JJP and BJP MLAs were in contact with him, Dalal said: “I don’t want to talk politics today.”
Relations between Punjab and Haryana have been strained over the SYL canal issue since 1982, a year after 3.5 MAF of the water flowing from Beas and Ravi was assigned to Haryana. Of the 17.17 MAF, 4.22 MAF had been assigned to Punjab and 8.6 MAF to Rajasthan.
In order to provide its share of the water south of Haryana, a plan had been formulated to create a 214 km long canal linking Sutlej and Yamuna, of which 122 km were supposed to pass through Punjab and the remainder, Haryana. While Haryana has completed her part of the canal, that of Punjab remains incomplete.
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