Farmers protest against water crisis, pollution in Punjab
The protesting farmers accused the governments of not solving water dispute with other states, leading to water crisis in Punjab
Farmers aligned with five different organisations staged a protest against the Punjab and central governments near YPS Chowk in Mohali on Thursday.
The protesters accused the governments of not solving water dispute with other states, leading to water crisis in Punjab.
On the call of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU, Rajewal), All India Kisan Federation (AIKF), Kisan Sangharsh Committee (KSC), Punjab, BKU (Mansa) and Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee (AKSC), the protesters gathered near Amb Sahib gurdwara and then took out a rally till YPS Chowk.
The rally was addressed by BKU president Balbir Singh Rajewal, AIKF president Prem Singh Bhangu, KSC president Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, BKU (Mansa) president Bogh Singh and AKSC president Harjinder Singh Tanda.
The leaders castigated the successive governments for complicating Punjab’s water issue for their vested political interests. With governments failing to find a permanent solution for the water dispute, the underground water was depleting, increasing the expenditure of farmers manifold. They said plenty of water from Punjab was still going to Pakistan due to mismanagement and lack of storage capacity.
They said wrong assessment of water and its distribution was the main cause of the water dispute.
They accused the central government of trying to establish its monopoly on water by interlinking all rivers. “But the people of Punjab will fight unitedly to safeguard the power of the state and thwart the nefarious designs of the central government,” the leaders said.
They also expressed their anguish and concern over pollution caused by industries, severely affecting agriculture, crops and health of people.
Later, a memorandum of demands was presented to the Punjab and central governments through the governor.