Of 68 gadgets on the agenda taken up on the twenty first assembly of the Standing Committee of the Northern Zonal Council in Chandigarh on Friday, Punjab and Haryana squabbled over the difficulty of sharing of water, with Haryana asking Punjab to permit the development of Satluj Yamuna Hyperlink Canal (SYL) whereas the latter reiterating it didn’t have water.
Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad chaired the assembly which was attended by Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) Ok Moses Chalai, Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh Prabodh Saxena, Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Sudhansh Pant, Chief Secretary of Punjab KAP Sinha and senior officers from the collaborating States, Union Territories (UTs), and the Ministry of House Affairs.
On the assembly, Haryana raised the SYL problem, whereas Punjab Administrative Secretary of the Water Sources Division Krishan Kumar strongly opposed it saying they didn’t have water, as was evident from the groundwater report. Kumar, nevertheless, demanded that Punjab needs to be given its share of water from the Yamuna. To this, Haryana objected, saying Punjab by no means acquired water from the Yamuna and it was unusual the state was searching for water from the river now.
The problem of organising mini hydel crops on 27 slopes on the Bhakra Primary Line was additionally raised by Punjab, however Haryana objected to it, saying it might hurt the circulation of water to their facet.
Sources mentioned although 68 points had been on the agenda on the assembly that lasted for six hours, not a single problem was resolved. Just a few points had been deferred, whereas others like SYL had been listed for the Northern Zonal Council assembly hosted by Haryana and chaired by Union House Minister Amit Shah in November.
Speedy investigation into rape instances
The assembly additionally confused the necessity for a speedy investigation into instances of rape and sexual offences towards girls and youngsters. The central authorities in 2018 authorized the Prison Legislation (Modification) Act 2018, prescribing stringent provisions for sexual offences, together with the dying penalty within the rape of a lady beneath the age of 12 years. To make sure compliance with the two-month timeline for the completion of the investigation beneath the Prison Legislation (Modification) Act, 2018, advisories are being issued to all states and UTs, together with compliance stories, urging them for hundred per cent compliance for the efficient implementation of the Act, the measures to strengthen investigation and prosecution equipment will instil a way of safety amongst girls.
A number of inter-state points mentioned
A number of interstate points had been additionally mentioned on the assembly, together with the necessity for neighbouring states to shift to cleaner fuels equivalent to piped pure fuel of their industries, full ban on manufacturing, storage, sale (together with supply via on-line advertising platforms) and bursting of all types of crackers within the Nationwide Capital Area (NCR). Points regarding vehicular air pollution management, BS VI autos’ registration, electrical automobile promotion and discouraging the entry of non-destined vans in Delhi had been additionally mentioned.
