Punjab irked by Centre's 'refusal' to sign Greater Thal Canal loan deal with ADB
Pakistan
Punjab irked by Centre's 'refusal' to sign Greater Thal Canal loan deal with ADB
LAHORE – Provincial Finance Minister Mohsin Laghari has said the refusal to sign the loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank for the construction of the Greater Thal Canal is injustice not only with Punjab but also from population of the Pakistan.
Availability of water for the irrigation of the farm lands is critical to meet the nutritional needs of growing population. The Greater Canal Thal will irrigate the agricultural lands of the backward districts of Punjab like Khushab, Leyyah, Bhakkar, Jhang and Muzaffargarh.
The minister was addressing a press conference Punjab Public Relations Department along with Provincial Minister for Irrigation on Sunday.
He said obstructing the construction of the canal will not only increase the farmers’ difficulties but also economically killed the people associated with the canal system to irrigate their fields.
The Punjab government will not tolerate the injustice to the deprived people of the province and if the federal government will not sign the loan agreement with ADB than, it will proceed completion of the canal project from the province s own resources.
He said the Greater Uthal Canal project was not a new project. The Greater Thal Canal project was started in 1940, but since partition, the project has been demanding the attention of the government. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government took help from the Asian Development Bank to complete the project.
According to the normal procedure, the provinces are bound to get permission from the federation to obtain loans from international development banks for development purposes. A period of one year was required to sign the agreement with the Asian Development Bank during which regime change was also witnessed in Punjab.
December 12 was the last date for signing the agreement, but the federation refused to sign the agreement for the construction of Greater Thal in Punjab on the basis of baseless allegations of Sindh, he added.
According to Sindh, the Greater Thar Canal is being irrigated with Sindh water which is completely wrong. Sindh and the Federation are well aware of the fact that Punjab is irrigating the Greater Thal Canal with its own share of water. In the Inter-Provincial Water Accord of 1991, a regular share has been allocated for the Greater Thal Canal. In 2008, a certificate has also been issued by IRSA to supply water to the canal.
Laghari said that according to the water distribution agreement, the federal government has made the remaining three provinces their share of canals, including Rainy Canal in Sindh, Khachi in Balochistan and Cheshma Right Bank canal in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But Punjab has deprived off due right of construction if the Canals.
He said that the Punjab government will not tolerate the injustice to the people of the deprived districts. This is not the first time that the people of Punjab are politically victimized on water issue.
During this period, no aid funds were given to the province and due funds were transferred from the National Financial Award. The flood also badly affected the canal system and infrastructure in Punjab but the federal government did not take any responsibility for it, he alleged.
