Badal takes up canal water user charges issue with CM

Chandigarh, Aug 3 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Parkash Singh Badal today came down heavily on Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for ''slapping a Rs 80 crore liability on the farmers by forcing them to pay usage charges for the canal water used by them''.

At many places, the charges were being levied even where the farmers were not actually usuing the water, Mr Badal said in a statement issued here, demanding that the 'tehsildars' be immediately directed to stop the harassment of farmers in this regard.

''This shows not just an inhuman steak in the chief minister but also speaks of his capacity for playing a fraud on the people as the Congress party in its manifesto during the last assembly polls had promised to continue the waiver on these charges that had been introduced by the SAD-BJP government,'' Mr Badal said.

He demanded immediate cancellation of the notification asking the farmers to pay the water usage charges (Abiana).

He said when his party would form a government in the state, it would immediately reintroduce complete waiver of these charges in case the present government did not respond to the farmers' plea.

Reacting to reports in a section of the press on ''the prevailing shock and awe'' among the farming community over the harassment to which they were being subjected by the government officials, Mr Badal said the case was merely symptomatic of the attitude of this government towards the beleaguered peasantry in the state.

Mr Badal pointd out the news report which stated that the Irrigation Department had sent the bills to farmers in various villages asking them to pay the same at the earliest or face action, The senior Akali leader said his party would not remain a mute witness to ''this humiliation and torture being heaped on the farmers''. This would also feature on the SAD agenda during the party's protest dharna in front of the Prime Minister's residence on August eight, Mr Badal said.

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