CM’s Speech Exposed Secrets on Punjab Floods
SAS Nagar :
Lok-Raj’ Punjab has demanded “the Control of Bhakhra-Pong Dams to Punjab,” and “Judicial Probe in the recent devastating floods in Punjab” due to alleged criminal negligence of BBMB. The floods affected, 19 districts and 1469 villages of the state, resulting in loss of 40 human lives, immence damage to crops, cattle, homes, public propery and infrastructure.”
To save the “Riparian State of Punjab” from floods catastrophe in future, the control of Bhakhra and Pong Dams built on Punjab Rivers, should be handed over to Punjab with immediate effect, since Punjab can’t afford such avoidable devastations, any more.
The Lok Raj Punjab held a token “Black Flag Protest” and issued Global Appeal to Punjabi Diaspora abroad and in Punjab to join “Save Punjab Stir” by hoisting black flags on their vehicles, abodes and establishments, to focus and build international pressure to check continued injustice to weaken and destroy Punjab
‘Lok-Raj’ claimed, that important facts about mis-management during recent ‘Punjab-Floods’, went “unnoticed” during Debate at PAU on 1st Nov, in Punjab CM’s speech, regarding “vital revelation,” that “out of 18000 Cusic water share of Rajasthan, accomulated in Dam, it refused to accept 16 Cusic, at the time of recent Floods.”
That left not enough space to accomodate water due to metling of ice and rain in catchment area, leading to force opening of safety Flood Gates of Bhakhra and Pong Dams to release water in Sutlej and Beas rivers, resulting in un-manageable immense flood fury in so many Sutlej-Beas adjoining districts of Punjab, it maintained.
Following the Rajasthan footsteps, “Haryana also refused to accept its allocated share,” leaving accomulated surplus water in Dams, thereby “leaving Punjab alone, to face floods,” by further aggrevating already grim situation of flood fury in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshehar, Patiala, Mansa, Ferozpur and other districts of Punjab, it added.
SS Boparai, IAS KC, former Secretary Union Government and ‘Kirti Kisan Forum’ Chief, Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa, President of ‘Lok-Raj’ Punjab, and Er Harinder Singh Brar, former Chairman and ‘Engineer in Chief’ Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), in a joint statement maintained, now it is “crystal clear,” that “Mandatory Safety Rules,” and Protocol of Management of Dam was ignord by BBMB, to ” bring down level of water in Dams’ before a cut date in end of May, to accomodate “melting of ice” in June-July, followed by rains in catchment area.
Leaving water share of Rajasthan and Haryana “till the time of recent flood was a criminal negligence by BBMB, since that water was still there in the Dams/Reserviors,” as revealed by CM Punjab.
Protocol of River Dams have “two strictly defined periods” to “ensure ‘Dam-Safety’ and ‘Public-Safety’ to evert Floods.” One is “Filling/Collection Period” and other is “Evacuation/Depletion period,” to accomodate water from melting of ice, and rains pouring every year, in catchment areas of the Dams.
It is high handedness, and unjust on the part of centre government to have snatched and denied the control of Bhakhra-Pong Dams to the “Riparian State of Punjab,” that bears the brunt of floods, resulting in huge loss of human lives besides destruction of crops, personal and public property, as a result of release of Dam Water by “opening Flood Gates for Dam’s safety.”
They held BBMB and Water Resorces Department of Centre as well as state, fully responsible for the “avoidable flood situation” resulting in huge losses to Punjab.
They demanded from Centre Government, to “immediately transfer, control of BBMB and Sutlej-Beas Rivers to Punjab.”
They also demanded prompt and impartial “Judicial Probe” to fix responsibility of concerned officers responsible to manage BBMB, and also to ascertain that “whether they acted on their own or under pressure ?”
They added, that if Centre fails to see reason, then Punjab Government must “take legal recourse” to “recover the losses due to floods,” from “unjust water sharing states” of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
They maintained, that Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, who are sharing the Rivers Dam water, must also be made to “proportionally share” the “cost of loss and damage from floods.”
