- Omar Abdullah’s claim on water rights shocking: Dr Cheema
Chandigarh, June 20: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today expressed surprise at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s statement claiming his State had complete water rights over the Indus water system and urged the Centre to undo the historic injustice done with Punjab by the then Indira Gandhi government while deciding distribution of water of the Indus water basin.
In a statement released here today, former Minister and senior SAD leader Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said it was a historical fact that the then Indira Gandhi government had done great injustice with Punjab while giving away a huge share of river waters to the non-riparian state Rajasthan. “Every time it is Punjab which suffers the most. River waters were snatched from Punjab.
Dr Cheema said what Mr. Omar Abdullah was demanding was another attempt to do injustice with Punjab. He said that while filling the food bowl of the country Punjab had lost its ground water which had fallen to alarming levels. He said the quantity of waters in Rivers had also gone down substantially.
He said farmers of Punjab had taken huge debt on their shoulders to fulfil food requirement of the country.
While welcoming announcement of Centre government to keep Indus water treaty in abeyance, Dr. Cheema said that this decision had provided a historic opportunity to the Centre to undo injustice done with Punjab by the then Indira Gandhi and it should be compensated by giving it additional water from this Indus water treaty project.
Dr. Cheema also urged Mr. Omar Abdullah that before issuing such dangerous statements, he should keep in mind requirements of farmers of Punjab and other States of the country. He expressed hope that the Centre would not heed Abdullah’s demand and would do justice with Punjab
