Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Hon
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann reviewed the work of Malwa Canal at Sri Muktsar Sahib on Saturday. He said that the first canal will be built in Punjab after independence. Meanwhile he said that the state is on the verge of making a new history as for the first time in the history of the state a new canal ‘Malwa Canal’ is being dug to meet the irrigation needs of the south. Bhagwant Singh Ma further said that this new canal, about 150 kilometers long, will usher in a new era of unprecedented progress and prosperity in the state, especially in the Malwa region.
Addressing the gathering after inspecting the ongoing work of Malwa Canal, the Chief Minister said that it is a record that no previous government had paid attention to this need of the state. He said that this gross negligence of previous governments led to over-exploitation of groundwater, which has turned most of the blocks into dark zones.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government has invested around Rs. 2300 crore, which will meet the irrigation needs of nearly two lakh acres of fertile land in the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he thought of this project before assuming the post of Chief Minister of the state. He said that in fact this is his dream project, which aims to promote the overall development of the state and the development of Malwa region in particular.
Referring to the previous decisions, the Chief Minister said that those seeking votes in the name of sect never bothered to take such a step. He said that Akali leaders are more interested in supplying water to their fields than running projects that can change the fate of the common man. Bhagwantsinh Mann said that due to such anti-people attitude, these leaders were completely rejected by the electorate and gave a big mandate to the present government.
The chief minister quipped that Lok Sabha member Harsimrat Kaur Badal was shedding crocodile tears over the issue of royalty demand on state water. He reminded the Lok Sabha member that his family has been in power for a long time in Punjab since the 1970s but he has not raised the issue anywhere.
Bhagwant Singh Ma said that the Badal family is raising these issues now that the people of the state have pushed them into political anonymity. He said that intelligent people of the state know the true face of this family and will never spare them for their crimes.
