On the SYL issue, Punjab and Haryana officials will now review the current situation and present their views on the issue. The officials will recommend a possible solution. Following the officials’ report, the Chief Ministers of both states will decide on the next steps. The Supreme Court had directed the two Chief Ministers to sit together and resolve the dispute.
A meeting between Punjab and Haryana on the SYL issue was held in Chandigarh. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini attended the meeting. After the meeting, Saini and Bhagwant Mann held a joint press conference.
Officials From Both States Will Conduct Further Discussions.
Nayab Saini said about the meeting that the talks took place in a very good atmosphere. When discussions take place in a good atmosphere, meaningful results are achieved. We held the meeting in accordance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines. Talks have already taken place in the presence of Union Minister CR Patil. We have decided that officials from both states will now engage in further dialogue.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said, “We are the heirs of Bhai Kanhaiya Ji. He even gave water to the enemies in war, and Haryana is our younger brother.” Mann added, “This dispute has been ongoing since the time of our elders. Now, the leadership of Punjab and Haryana is in the hands of a new generation of leaders. We hope this dispute will end soon.” Mann said that officials can hold three to four meetings a month. Once the water issue is resolved, they will consider the construction of the SYL Canal.
What Is The SYL Dispute?
The SYL dispute has its roots in the December 31, 1981, agreement under which the SYL Canal was planned and construction began in 1982. However, work stopped in 1990. Haryana filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 1996, and in 2002, the court directed Punjab to complete the canal construction within a year.
In 2004, the court ordered the central government to take over the project if Punjab failed to complete the construction. The Captain Amarinder Singh government cancelled the water agreements in 2004, and in 2016, the Akali-BJP government denotified the land acquired for the canal. The Supreme Court ordered that Punjab and Haryana cooperate with the central government to resolve the dispute.
Current Status Of The SYL Canal
Of the 214-kilometer plan for the SYL Canal, 92 kilometers of the canal has been completed in Haryana. In Punjab, construction work has come to a complete halt. In many places, the excavation for the SYL Canal has been filled with soil. A total of 122 kilometers of the canal is yet to be constructed in Punjab. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Haryana in January 2002, ordering Punjab to construct the canal under the agreement. However, in 2004, then-Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh passed a law in the Assembly, nullifying the 1981 agreement. The Supreme Court struck down this law in 2016 and maintained the status quo on Punjab’s portion of the SYL on November 30, 2016.
