Taking serious note of people facing problems due to shortage of drinking water as result of nonpayment of electricity bills by nagar councils and panchayats in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party warned to take action against the presidents and office bearers of nagar councils and Sarpanches of panchayats and for failing in fulfilling their duties.Addressing the media at Jalandhar, senior AAP leader H.S. Phoolka said that it is the failure of the nagar councils and panchayats that they have fell short of providing basic facilities like drinking water to the people. He termed it an ‘inhuman approach’ as the money was collected from the residents but it was misused by the concerned people.Phoolka said that as per the reports from all over the state, hundreds of cases like this were reported where people are deprived of the basic facility of drinking water due to the negligence of officers and politicians. He warned them to pay the bills or be ready to face the heat. He said that the responsible representatives will be disqualified and criminal cases will be registered against them. These people will not be permitted to contest elections further.
AAP leader Dr. Amamrjeet Thind said that more than 50 villages are suffering as the electricity department has disconnected the electricity connections of water works because of nonpayment of bills in Jalandhar area. He said that electricity department has invited the panchayats and nagar councils to give written statements of assurance to continue the supply but has got lukewarm response. He said that political rivalry and corruption is responsible for the agony. Speaking on the SYL issue, Phoolka said that SAD-BJP and Congress have used the issue for getting political mileage out of it. He said that Punjab has no surplus water and no question arises of giving water to Haryana. As per the 2002 plan drafted by centre government, Haryana must get water from ‘Sharda-Yamuna’ link canal.AAP leader said that the Supreme Court of India had directed centre government in 2002 to construct ‘Sharda-Yamuna link Canal’ to fulfill the water requirement of Haryana as the surplus water was causing floods in Uttrakhand.
He also said that centre government must immediately widraw 1976 award issued by then prime minister Indra Gandhi.Talking about the problems being faced by potato growers in Punjab, Phoolka said that the government is less concerned about the farmers. He said that nothing has been done by the successive governments in state about installing food processing units to help the farmers. He said that the cold stores were not provided to farmers to keep their crop and were forced to sell the potatoes at very less rates.“Harsimrat being food processing minister in centre government could have installed food processing units in state but has not done because of personal benefits of Badal family.” Phoolka said. He said that 1978 report of Punjab Agriculture University talked about the food processing industry in Punjab but nothing has been done by Congress and Akali Dal so far.“It is shoking to know that Modi government is going to import wheat from other countries and has decreased import duty from 15% to 0%. This is being done to benefit big industrialist but the farmer of country will suffer because of the move.” Phoolka said.AAP leaders Chandan Grewal, H.S. Walia, Sukhdeep Apra and Atam Parkash Bablu were also present on the occasion.