Jammu, June 21 -- No approvals have been given for building a canal to divert surplus water to other states, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday, asserting that the Union territory should be allowed to use its waters first before the needs of other states are considered. Abdullah also sought to remind the neighbouring state of Punjab of how it "maltreated" J&K for years by not sharing water from the Ujh multipurpose and Shahpur Kandi barrage projects. "Why should I send water to Punjab? Punjab already had water (of three eastern rivers) under the Indus Water Treaty. Did they give us water when we needed it?" he asked in response to a question on the central government's plans to construct a 113-km canal to transfer surplus water from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan to prevent it from flowing to neighbouring Pakistan. "I will never allow this. Let's use our water for ourselves first. There is a drought-like situation in Jammu," he said. "Jammu is facing water scarcity... There is no water in the taps." The chief minister highlighted that when J&K was desperate for water, Punjab did not share water from the Ujh multipurpose project and Shahpur Kandi barrage. FULL REPORT ON PAGE 4...