Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday opposed a 113-kilometre canal project aimed at diverting surplus water from the Union Territory's share of the Indus River system to neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Omar Abdullah said he will never permit this. "Let us use our water for ourselves first. There is a drought-like situation in Jammu. Why should I send water to Punjab?"
He said Punjab already had water under the Indus Water Treaty. "Did they give us water when we needed it?" he added.
Read all about the 45-year-old dispute between Punjab and J-K
Omar Abdullah invoked the 45-year-old dispute between the Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir governments over the construction of the Shahpur Kandi barrage in Pathankot. Signed in 1979, the agreement between the two states saw fruition only in 2018 after the Centre's mediation. This was meant to stop the flow of water from River Ravi to Pakistan.
Omar Abdullah also questioned the fairness of this proposal with reference to past grievances: "Punjab already had water under the Indus Water Treaty. Did they give us water when we needed it?" he asked.
"Kitne saal unhone humein rulaya. (They made us cry for so many years)," Omar Abdullah told reporters on Friday.
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister made his stance clear on the proposed 113-km-long canal, saying, "For now the water is for us." "We will use the water first, and then we will think about others," Abdullah made it clear.
Reports claim Centre decided to divert water to Punjab
Earlier, one media report said that the central government had decided to divert water meant for Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty for use in the northern states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.
News agency ANI reported that the Jal Shakti Ministry is working on infrastructure development on a war footing to implement the decision.
The objective of the Jal Shakti Ministry is to ensure not a single drop of water meant for Pakistan goes to waste. The report surfaced last month after India launched Operation Sindoor and officially suspended its adherence to the Indus Waters Treaty.
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