Congress leader Kumari Selja has extended her support to farmers from Sirsa, Hisar and Fatehabad districts who are staging a protest in Fatehabad demanding adequate irrigation water. She said ensuring timely and sufficient irrigation water for farmers and clean drinking water for citizens was a fundamental responsibility of both the Central and state governments.
Selja, the Member of Parliament from Sirsa, former Union Cabinet Minister, AICC General Secretary, Congress in-charge of Uttarakhand and a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), said the ongoing period was crucial for wheat sowing. Farmers should be concentrating on sowing their fields and taking care of their crops, but the water shortage had forced them to hold sit-ins, demonstrations and protests. She described the situation as worrying and said the government must address farmers’ concerns through dialogue and concrete administrative measures.
Calls for a Study on Yamuna-Ghaggar Link
Selja said that a few months ago, she had suggested to the Union Jal Shakti Minister that the possibility of linking the Yamuna river with the Ghaggar river be studied as a potential long-term solution to Haryana’s water crisis. She said the proposal deserved serious consideration, taking into account its technical feasibility, environmental impact, water availability and the interests of the states concerned. If found viable, such a project could potentially benefit several parts of Haryana, she added.
Selja Questions BJP Government Over Delayed Projects and Rising Costs, Seeks White Paper
Accuses BJP Governments of Focusing on Publicity
Targeting the BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana, Selja alleged that they were giving greater attention to announcements and publicity while failing to provide lasting solutions to farmers’ basic problems. Farmers, she said, needed effective plans that ensured water reached their fields, not rhetoric.
She urged the state government to prepare a canal water supply schedule in accordance with farmers’ requirements, immediately hold discussions with the concerned farmer organisations and ensure adequate irrigation water during the wheat sowing season. She also called on the Central government to initiate consultations with experts and the states concerned on the proposal for a Yamuna-Ghaggar water link.
Says Farmers’ Concerns Need Timely Action
Selja said farmers’ problems could be resolved only through sensitivity, dialogue and time-bound action. Providing adequate water for crops and clean drinking water to citizens, she said, must remain among the government’s foremost priorities.
EDITORIAL NOTE
The statements and allegations in this report are attributed to Kumari Selja. The proposal for a Yamuna-Ghaggar link is presented as a suggestion for technical and environmental assessment, not as an approved project.
