Chandigarh (March 12, 2011): The Sikh Students Federation today termed the Haryana Assembly’s move to adopt resolution urging the Center to scrap law passed by Punjab Assembly in 2004 which revoked the so-called agreements authorizing allocation of Punjab’s river water to non-riparian states, including Haryana, as a useless “political stunt”.
SSF President Parmjeet Singh Gazi, claimed that Punjab Government was within its’ constitutional jurisdiction while scraping the alleged agreements, including Indira Award and Rajiv-Longlowal accord. However, he maintained that, the step was ‘unnecessary’ because those accords were already lacking binding force of law and pursuant allocation of water was illegal and unconstitutional.
“All the previous accords were such settlements which were not validated by the Constitutional procedure, as none of them was ever authorized or endorsed by the Punjab Assembly” he added.
“Center has nothing do in this regard, as it has no authority of legislate on ‘entries’ allocated to State assemblies by List II of the Constitution of India” maintained Gazi, who further said that ‘by calling such a step Haryana has wished the Center to practice further encroachment over the legitimate sphere of the State of Punjab’.
The organization also ridicules at the second resolution adopted by Haryana regarding construction of Hansi-Butana Canal because, the SSF clamed that, a resolution, even if unanimously adopted by a State Assembly, could not authorize something which was not otherwise authorized by the Constitution”.
The Sikh Students Federation also criticized the ruling as well as the opposition parties of Punjab for their failure to safeguard the riparian rights and the interests of the people of Punjab. “Punjab assembly should immediately scrap Section 5 of Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004; which legalized the previously unwarranted allocation of Punjab’s river water to non-riparian states” added Parmjeet Singh Gazi. Currently Punjab’ river water is allocated to non-riparian states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.