SYL canal: Haryana CM says instead of finding amicable solution, Punjab shedding tears

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that instead of finding an amicable solution to the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, the Punjab government is shedding crocodile tears.

He said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should articulate a definitive stance on the issue as the water is flowing to Pakistan.

He said the AAP should not confine its discussions solely to Punjab Bhawan but should extend its deliberations to encompass a wider perspective on the SYL canal dispute.

The Chief Minister told the media here that the Bhagwant Mann government has been giving contradictory statements on the SYL issue.

He said instead of finding an amicable solution to this issue, the Punjab government is shedding crocodile tears.

Khattar said the Supreme Court has given a three-month deadline to the Central government to take possession of the land which has been acquired.

The Chief Minister urged the Centre to immediately start the survey process in Punjab to complete the work of the SYL canal. The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to the apex court for its decision regarding its early construction.

The Chief Minister said Haryana has always been in favour of finding solutions through mutual dialogue. “But Punjab's attitude towards the construction of the SYL canal and the distribution of water has always been adamant.”

He said Punjab has always insisted on sharing water instead of its construction, whereas in year 2002 the Supreme Court had given a decree in favour of Haryana regarding the construction of the canal and sharing of water, making it clear that under the Article 9.1 and 9.2 of Parliament the cases of disputes between the states will be referred to a tribunal according to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act.

Also, the dispute over the construction of the SYL canal has not been linked to Para 9.3 of the agreement. “This makes it clear that the construction of the SYL canal has nothing to do with water sharing among the states and is not a water dispute,” Khattar explained.

He said due to the delay in the construction of the SYL canal by Punjab, not only Haryana is facing a water crisis, but the excess water of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas is flowing to Pakistan.

“Owing to this, the country is being deprived of taking advantage of its water wealth. In the last 10 years, 1.68 MFA (million acre feet) of the Sutlej water and 0.58 MFA of the Ravi-Beas water have flowed to Pakistan. Therefore, it is important that the construction of the SYL canal be completed as soon as possible to prevent the loss of water resources at the national level,” he said.

The Chief Minister further said due to its non-completion farmers of Haryana are suffering huge losses.

“With the completion of the construction of the canal, the farmers of the state will have additional water available for irrigation, which will not only increase the agricultural production but will also help increasing the income of the farmers,” he said.