July 14, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1369 Karen is obviously a phenomenal teacher as range of human rights. And it will allow self- (non-riparian) 0.20 MAF, Punjab (riparian) this is not the only award that she has re- determination for these sovereign states. 4.22 MAF and Jammu and Kashmir (riparian) ceived. Last year she was awarded the Most Until that happens, Mr. Speaker, we should 0.65 MAF. Under clause IV of this agreement, not provide any aid to India. And we should Punjab and Haryana withdrew their respec- Inspirational Teacher Award and a ten thou- tive suits from the Supreme Court. But the sand dollar donation from the Basalt commu- take a stand for self-determination, which is controversy rages on. The issue has become nity where she used to teach from 1993 to the cornerstone of democracy, by supporting a emotive. 2003. Most recently, she qualified for a free and fair plebiscite on independence in Referring to the broad clauses of the pro- weeklong seminar at Stanford University with Punjab, Khalistan, in Kashmir, in predomi- posed Bill, Capt Amarinder Singh main- Pulitzer-Prize winning historian David Ken- nantly Christian Nagaland, and everywhere tained that riparian and basin principles nedy. She was one of only thirty teachers in- that people seek their freedom from Indian were ignored all along and allocation of the vited. rule. The assertion of sovereignty by the Pun- Ravi-Beas waters had always been affected Mr. Speaker, Karen Green has devoted her jab Legislative Assembly is a good first step. by ‘‘ad hoc decisions and agreements, dic- tated by prevalent circumstances’’. Here was career to expanding the minds of Colorado They should act to claim their sovereignty by a typical case involving ‘‘emotive’’ issue of students and her colleagues. She is a dedi- severing their ties to India. We should take a impending transfer of water from ‘‘deficit’’ cated teacher who demonstrates a strong pas- stand by letting them know that when they do, Ravi-Beas basin to the ‘‘surplus’’ Yamuna sion for learning and I am honored to recog- we will be there with them. basin. nize her accomplishments before this distin- Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before, I would Never any reliable and scientific study of guished body of Congress and this nation like to insert the Tribune article into the hydrological, ecological and sociological im- today. Congratulations on your award Karen, RECORD. pact of such large scale trans-basin diversion from Punjab to Haryana and Rajasthan had and thank you for your many years of service. [From the Tribune (Chandigarh), July 13, been undertaken. Besides this transfer, di- 2004] f version was even contrary to the National PUNJAB ANNULS ALL WATER PACTS: CONG, Water Policy guidelines, he added. PUNJAB GOVERNMENT CANCELS AKALIS JOIN HANDS ON ISSUE DEAL THAT ALLOWED DIVER- Capt Amarinder Singh pointed out, ‘‘Non- (By P.P.S. Gill) riparian and non-basin states of Haryana and SION OF WATER TO OTHER CHANDIGARH, July 12.—A special session of Rajasthan are not only not entitled to any STATES; LEGISLATURE ASSERTS the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today unani- Ravi-Beas waters, even their current alloca- SOVEREIGNTY mously passed the Punjab Termination of tion and utilisation is totally dispropor- Agreements Bill, 2004, thereby ‘‘knocking tionate to the areas alleged to be falling in HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS down’’ the very basis on which the Supreme the Indus basin. Therefore, Punjab, as a good Court had passed its order on construction of neighbour, has accepted such utilisations by OF NEW YORK SYL—Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal on June 4, Haryana and Rajasthan as ‘usages by suffer- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES last. This Bill annuls the December 31, 1981, ance’ but not as a matter of any recognition Tuesday, July 13, 2004 agreement between Punjab, Haryana and of their rights’’. Rajasthan signed by the three Chief Min- He supported this hypothesis, when he Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, the Legislative isters in the presence of the late Ms Indira posed the question, ‘‘Does Punjab have sur- Assembly of Punjab recently annulled a long- Gandhi and also all other agreements relat- plus water and do the claimants of our water standing agreement that allowed the diversion ing to the water of the rivers, Ravi and Beas. a legal right to it?’’ Then, he paused for ef- of water from Punjab to other states. This, the Bill says, was done in ‘‘public in- fect, ‘‘The answer to this question is a re- According to the Tribune of Chandigarh, terest’’. The annulment has come after 23 sounding ‘no’’’, and went on to give the fol- whose article I will be inserting in the RECORD long years with two staunch political rivals, lowing picture: at the end of my remarks, the Legislative As- the Congress and the Akalis, joining hands All three rivers, the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej, flow through the present Punjab and sembly asserted the sovereignty of Punjab in to protect the state’s riparian rights. Imme- diately after the Bill was passed, the Chief none through either Haryana or Rajasthan. doing so. The newspaper reports that the bill Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, accom- No part of territories of these states fall passed by the Legislative Assembly says that panied by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr within the basin areas of the Ravi and the ‘‘as a sovereign authority [Punjab] considered Parkash Singh Badal, PPCC president, Mr Beas, although, according to un-substan- it its duty to uphold the Constitution and the H.S. Hanspal, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Mr tiated report of the Irrigation Commission, laws and to protect the interests of its inhab- Partap Singh Bajwa and a team of legal ex- only 9,939 sq. kms. within Haryana fall in itants.’’ perts went to Raj Bhavan to meet the Gov- Indus basin, against 50,305 sq. kms. of Pun- Apparently, all parties supported this meas- ernor, Justice O.P. Verma (retd.), to request jab. Again, the present utilisation by Haryana ure. We congratulate them on taking this step him to give his assent to the Bill, as the dead-line for compliance with the Supreme was about 5.95 MAF, about 4.33 MAF from forward to protect the interests of the people Court order was July 15. The combined dele- Sutlej and about 1.62 MAF from the Ravi- of Punjab. I urge them to continue claiming, gation spent an hour with the Governor. The Beas water, through the existing systems. promoting, and establishing the sovereignty of Raj Bhavan sources said, ‘‘The Bill is being Also out of 17.17 MAF of ‘‘surplus’’ Ravi-Beas Punjab. examined.’’ water, only 4.22 MAF was allocated to Pun- Mr. Speaker, we know that the people of Capt Amarinder Singh told TNS that he jab, a riparian state, against higher quan- Punjab have been severely oppressed by the had not discussed the Bill with Ms Sonia tities to Haryana and Rajasthan. From the tyrannical Indian government. Over a quarter Gandhi. ‘‘Why involve her? When I go to total surplus availability of 11.98 MAF of the of a million Sikhs have been killed since 1984, Delhi, I shall brief her’’. Beas water, Punjab has been allocated 2.64 Presenting the Bill to the House, Capt. MAF. according to the Punjab State Magistracy. The Amarinder Singh made an emotive speech Therefore, justifying the annulling of the Movement Against State Repression reports giving facts, figures and background to the December 31, 1981, agreement and all other that 52,268 have been taken as political pris- entire issue of sharing of river waters and agreements relating to the Ravi and the oners, held without charge or trial, some as steps taken in the recent past to protect and Beas, the Bill seeks to present the fact that long as 20 years. According to the Punjab safeguard the interests of Punjab, particu- ground realities have since undergone a sea Human Rights Commission, about 50,000 larly the farmers and save nine lakh acres change from that date and Punjab settle- Sikhs have simply been made to disappear by going dry and barren, which would affect the ment of July 24, 1985, under the Rajiv- being arrested, tortured, killed in police cus- livelihood of 1.5 million families. Longowal Agreement. Therefore, this had The Bill says that Punjab was proud of its made the implementation of that 1981 agree- tody, declared ‘‘unidentified bodies,’’ and se- position in the Indian union, felt equal con- ment ‘‘onerous and injurious’’ to the public cretly cremated, without their remains even cern for its neighbours and as a sovereign au- interest. being given back to their families. thority also considered it its duty to uphold The availability of the Ravi-Beas water, Similar repression has been visited on the constitution and the laws and to protect 1717 MAF, as on December 31, 1981, has been Christians, Muslims, and other minorities. Yet the interests of its inhabitants. reduced to 14.37 MAF, as per the flow series India continues to say that it is the world’s Under the 1981 agreement, flow series were of 1981–2002. Haryana has been given 4.65 MA largest democracy. changed from 1921–45 to 1921–60, which had under the Yamuna agreement of May 12, If India is truly a democracy, it will allow the the result of increasing the availability of 1994, which will be further augmented by the Ravi-Beas waters from 15.85 MAF to 17.17 Sarda-Yamuna link. In the meanwhile, irri- will of the people to be carried out in regards MAF.