Chandigarh, December 23 - Five farmer organizations, Bharati Kisan Union Rajewal, Kisan Sangharsh protesting the meeting of Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana under the leadership of Union Jal Shakti Minister Mr. Gajendra Shekhawat on December 28 during Shaheed Week. Committee Punjab, All India Kisan Federation, Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee and Indian Kisan Union Mansa have announced to protest by displaying black flags on the occasion of this meeting.
While presiding over the joint meeting of the leaders of five organizations here today, Balbir Singh Rajewal, President of Bharati Kisan Union Rajewal, said that this meeting on the important issue of Punjab's waters has been deliberately held during the martyrdom days of the Sahibjadas. They all resist. He said that on this occasion, when the people of Punjab are busy with the martyrdom ceremonies of the Sahibjadas, this meeting does not make any sense and it should be postponed. He said that if this meeting is held on December 28, they will all protest with black flags.
Mr. Rajewal said that the underground water of Punjab is getting depleted very quickly. According to a report presented in the Parliament in this regard, Punjab's underground water will be completely depleted by 2030. He said that it is a matter of serious concern that this report was prepared in 2012, whereas since then water consumption has increased unaccountably as a result of which groundwater in Punjab will be depleted in the next four years. He said that according to a UNO report published in November, our water will run out by 2025.
He said that Punjab has the water of rivers blessed by nature. But after independence, the rulers sitting in Delhi from time to time gave the water of Punjab to other states in an unconstitutional manner by threatening to take away their political power from the weak leadership of Punjab. In the state list of the constitution, water is listed at number 17, that is, it is a subject of the states, for the distribution of which the central government has no right to give the water of Punjab to the states outside Punjab. But whenever the Center thought of pushing, it threatened the rulings of Punjab and took the rights to distribute water by using some trickery to take away the water and unconstitutionally allocated the water of Punjab to the non-riparian states like Rajasthan and Delhi. given
He said that the environment of Punjab has become polluted both air and water. Due to this, Punjab has become the home of various diseases. Governments are defaming the farmers by putting straw smoke. Through our industry and domestic water, many chemicals are mixing in the ground water and contaminating the water. Smoke from factories, furnaces, cars, buses, trucks is continuously polluting our air. The government is not ready to do anything in this regard.
He said that organizations have invited Chandigarh Chalo on 18th January to save the waters of Punjab and from 18th, the war will be fought to save the waters by putting up a firm front. He said that preparations are in full swing in various districts in this regard and this front will be completely successful.