Punjab Deputy Chief Minister today said that Punjab Government and its officials are bound to obey the directions of Punjab Assembly. He said that a committee under the Chief Secretary Punjab will be formed to access the cost and royalty of river waters provided to other states.Addressing a press conference here in a Committee room of Punjab Assembly, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister said that Punjab assembly has directed the state government to not hand over land for SYL construction & no co-operation with any agency and we are bound to obey the directions of Punjab Assembly. S. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that necessary instructions have been issued to the government officials in this regard. He also divulged that as per another historic step, the land acquired for canal construction has been de-notified and transferred back to the farmers .
Divulging more, S. Badal said that teams of finance and Irrigation departments would be formed under the purview of Chief Secretary and would assess the cost and royalty payable by other states who have been utilizing river waters of Punjab . Detailing further, he said that after this process gets over the bill would be sent to the states concerned. Disclosing further, the Deputy Chief Minister said that it is a universally accepted principle that the states have full rights over the mineral resources found in it besides the rivers flowing through its territory. S. Badal also said that a delegation from the Punjab Government would soon meet the President to apprise him of the decision of the state legislature.He re-iterated the commitment of the Punjab Government to not allow even a single drop of state's rivers go outside the state as being an agrarian state, river water is the lifeline of Punjab.