People falling sick due to poisonous water, says Jakhar, asks CM to ‘wake up’

Abohar: Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Sunday claimed that the Bhagwant Mann govt was responsible for the toxic water being supplied through canals to a large part of the Malwa region.The chief minister should focus on the people instead of shielding the corrupt, Jakhar remarked after visiting canals and seepage drains in the Abohar constituency.In a video message shared on social media, Jakhar said, "Poisonous black water is flowing through the canals, and seepage drains are not being cleaned. Due to this toxic water, people are falling ill, and because the drains are not being cleaned, kinnow orchards — a symbol of crop diversification in Fazilka district — are being destroyed. Wake up, chief minister, wake up."The senior leader further said that while the CM boasted of lining the water channels, with grants from the central govt, and claimed to be delivering water to tail-end areas, he was ignoring the black, polluted water flowing through the canals.He alleged that fish were dying in water bodies because of the contamination, and the water was not even fit for drinking.Jakhar further said sewage water had mixed into the canals, making the water smell foul and poisonous, posing a serious threat to humans, agriculture, and animals. The polluted water has been flowing through the canals for over a month, yet govt continues to ignore the issue, he added.The BJP leader also highlighted that seepage drains had not been cleaned so far.The clogged seepage drains create a flood-like situation during the rainy season. It also aggravates the seepage problem. As a result, thousands of acres of kinnow orchards planted under crop diversification initiatives in Fazilka district have been destroyed. Since the AAP came to power, kinnow orchards have continuously been uprooted, he alleged.Jakhar said the Mann govt should immediately clean the seepage drains, warning that otherwise the situation could turn dangerous during the monsoon season.The senior leader, though, assured the local farmers that they only had to endure this "bad govt" for one more rainy season. After the 2027 assembly elections, if the people give the BJP a chance, these problems will be resolved permanently, he said.AAP workers protest (BOX)The local unit of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party staged a dharna opposite Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar's residence in Abohar's Subhash Nagar area on Sunday. MLAs Narinder Pal Singh Sarna, Jagdeep Kamboj and Amandeep Singh Kamboj; Abohar assembly constituency in-charge Arun Narang; and Fazilka district unit chief Upkar Singh were part of the protest. They condemned the BJP-led Centre for misusing the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). The protesters alleged that the Centre was using the ED to destabilise the elected AAP govt in Punjab.