By IANS,
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a dispute with neighbouring Haryana over its decision to construct a wall along a canal on the Ghaggar river.
In a communication to the prime minister, Badal said that the construction of the wall could inundate several villages and thousands of acres of agricultural land in Patiala district and adjoining areas.
Badal urged the prime minister to depute a team of central government officials to visit the site where Haryana is constructing the wall.
“Haryana built the Hansi-Butana canal in April 2005 without any technical studies on the aspect of blockade of sheet flow of flood waters caused by the construction of its high embankments, leading to submergence of agricultural land and inhabited areas of Patiala,” a spokesman said here, quoting from the letter.
In the letter, Badal said that Punjab had filed a suit in the Supreme Court and a order was passed Aug 17, 2007, restraining Haryana from rupturing the Bhakra main line canal and consequently the Hansi-Butana canal could not be made operational. The suit is still pending in the Supreme Court.
The chief minister said that Haryana was now constructing a 3.5-km-long concrete wall along the canal.
“These measures will hinder the flow of flood water leading to submergence of hundreds of villages. Tens of thousands of farmers and their families would be uprooted. Unprecedented loss of human lives, cattle, destruction of property would lead to extremely serious law and order problem,” Badal said in the letter.