Chandigarh8 hours ago
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The Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana will sit face to face on October 14 to resolve the dispute over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar will hold this meeting in Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the Punjab government is engaged in the study of complex facts related to this age-old issue. Punjab CM Mann has spoken of ensuring the protection of the interests and rights of the state. However, he also said that it is too early to reach any conclusion in just one meeting.
This meeting of the CMs of both the states regarding the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal is being held on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC). Both the states have to file their answers on this issue in the court on 19 January 2023.
However, the AAP government of Punjab is currently not in a mood to make a unilateral decision or consensus on this dispute.
The decision has come in favor of Haryana
The Supreme Court gave its verdict in favor of Haryana on 10 November 2016 in the SYL case. The court had ordered that Haryana should be given sufficient water after completing the arrears of SYL. On 28 July 2020, the court ordered the central government to mediate between the two states. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat did this mediation but to no avail.
Punjab’s stand clear
Punjab’s stand on this issue is very clear. The governments of Punjab have been saying from time to time that the state does not have surplus water to give to anyone. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar had a conversation with former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on the same issue, in which the Captain reiterated Punjab’s stand.
Haryana CM has also discussed with Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal so that he can put pressure on the AAP government of Punjab to give water to Haryana. However, no solution was found in that meeting as well.
Complete controversy of SYL canal
- Punjab took Rs 1 crore from Haryana on November 18, 1976 and approved the construction of SYL in 1977. Later Punjab started hesitant about the construction of SYL canal.
- In 1979, Haryana approached the Supreme Court demanding the construction of SYL. Punjab challenged Section 78 of the Reorganization Act in the Supreme Court on July 11, 1979.
- After the dismissal of the Punjab government in 1980, the agreement between the two states was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1981. In 1982, Indira Gandhi started the construction of the canal by tucking it in village Kapuri in Patiala.
- In protest, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opened a front against the excavation of SYL. In 1985, Rajiv-Longowal agreement was signed, in which the construction of Punjab Canal was agreed.
- In 1990, on July 3, two engineers involved in the construction of SYL were also murdered. The then Chief Minister of Haryana Hukum Singh demanded from the central government that the construction work should be handed over to the BSF.
- In 1996, the Supreme Court in 2002 directed Punjab to build the SYL canal in one year. In 2015, Haryana requested the Supreme Court to set up a Constitution Bench for hearing.
- A 5-member constitution bench constituted in 2016 called all the parties during the first hearing. In the second hearing on March 8, the work of bridging the 121 km long canal in Punjab started. By March 19, while ordering the status quo of the Supreme Court, the work of bridging the canal was stopped.
- In 2019, the Supreme Court said that if both the states do not build the canal, then the court itself will get the canal constructed. Right now in 2022, the Supreme Court has issued notices to both the states to settle the issue.
Recently, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had come to Hisar in Haryana. There he was questioned about the SYL controversy because AAP is the only government in Punjab. Then Kejriwal did not give a clear answer on this issue.