Appreciating the historic step taken by the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said during a special session convened over the issue of additional water release by BBMB that this is not just an administrative decision but a historic move for Punjab’s water rights and for safeguarding the interests of its farmers.
Dr. Baljit Kaur stated that ever since India’s independence, Punjab has faced injustice in water distribution. The state’s rights were exploited through unfair agreements and legislations. She pointed out that it wasn’t just the role of the central government but also the involvement of previous state governments of that time.
Citing the example of Malout constituency, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that for over 50 years, villages located at the tail ends of the canals were deprived of water. She highlighted the condition of villages like Balmgarh, Ramgarh, Ram Nagar, and Tarkhanwala where farmers, burdened by debt, were forced to work as daily wage laborers. Marriages were delayed, and generations lived their lives amid misery and struggle.
She mentioned that these were the same villages which were often ‘adopted’ by former Chief Ministers from Akali and Congress parties, yet no real efforts were made to listen to their grievances. Recalling an incident, Dr. Kaur shared how she once took elderly villagers to meet Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann in Jalandhar. The Chief Minister listened to their pain and immediately ordered work to be started.
She remarked that it was the Mann Government that showed the courage no previous government did. “When it came to ensuring water rights and listening to the voices from the villages, it was only S. Bhagwant Mann who said — ‘First, the water will reach the fields, then we’ll talk about election symbols. People must get a life of dignity before politics,’” she quoted.
Dr. Baljit Kaur further said that today, Malout constituency is fortunate as the cleaning and repair of distributaries are underway, and canal water is being supplied to the tail-end fields. For this, she especially thanked Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann and Water Resources Minister Mr. Barinder Goial.
In conclusion, Dr. Baljit Kaur appealed to the media fraternity to share this as more than just a story — it is a lived reality, which must be heard directly from the elderly who have endured this hardship for 50 years. She emphasized that the pain and suffering of these people must be addressed by the system that overlooked them for so long.