Khattar writes to Pb CM, wants him to join hands on water issue

Khattar told reporters here that in the letter, he has urged the Punjab chief minister to direct his officers concerned to take up the proposal in right earnest.

The letter states, "You (Amarinder Singh) must have noticed reports about an unprecedented water crisis that looms large over our states. More and more blocks of Haryana and Punjab have anyway been slipping into the category of over-exploited blocks even as our hard-working farmers toil in the face of a stressed farm sector. "I think that time has come when we must join hands in checking the wasteful flow of Ravi waters to Pakistan," it stated.

Referring to the sixth meeting of the committee, formed by the Centre in this regard, which was held at the Central Water Commission in New Delhi in April 2012, Khattar wrote, "It had assessed the quantum of Minimum Utilizable Water (MUW) as 32 cumecs (equivalent to 0.58MAF) on a sustainable basis."

"The committee decided that the proposal for its diversion by constructing a 2 to 2.5 m high diversion structure across river Ravi with a gravity flow canal off-taking from Dharamkot to Harike Head works was viable." Khattar mentioned in the letter that the Centre had accordingly asked all the partner states to build a consensus on engaging the Bhakra Beas Management Board to undertake feasibility studies and start construction, and the Punjab government may take follow-up action on the minutes of meeting held in April 2012.