Haryana Budget: SYL missing from speech, government says commitment intact
CM unveils Rs 2,716-cr clean air plan, Rs 5,715-cr water security project; vows canal rehabilitation by 2031
For the first time in several years, the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal found no mention in the Haryana Budget speech, even as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini presented a 76-page, three-hour address heavy on irrigation, environment and water security initiatives.
The omission is significant as reiteration of commitment to the SYL canal has been a near-ritual in successive Budget speeches. Last year, in his maiden address, Saini had stated, “Through the SYL canal, the people of Haryana will receive their legitimate share of water from Punjab.”
Similarly, in the 2024-25 Budget presented under the BJP government headed by Manohar Lal Khattar, the government had asserted: “The government is committed towards the implementation of the SYL canal to utilise the legitimate share of Haryana in the Ravi-Beas river system.”
This year, however, the customary one-line reiteration was conspicuous by its absence.
The development comes at a time when parleys between Punjab and Haryana on water-sharing and construction of the SYL canal are underway on the directions of the Supreme Court. The Chief Ministers of both states have held multiple meetings and joint press conferences, maintaining that talks are progressing on the long-pending and politically sensitive issue. With Assembly elections due in Punjab next year, the issue remains politically charged.
Government sources maintained that the omission from the speech does not reflect any dilution of intent. “The Budget is a voluminous document and Rs 100 crore have been set aside for the construction of the SYL. However, the Budget speech is only a very abridged version of the entire Budget. Not being mentioned in the speech certainly does not translate into any lack of commitment of the government to the issue,” an officer stated.
Even as the SYL did not find verbal mention, irrigation and water management formed a central pillar of the Budget.
The Chief Minister proposed rehabilitation of the linings of 1,500 km of canals in 2026-27, covering major channels including the Bhakra Main Branch, Sirsa Branch, NBK Link Channel, Bhalot Sub-Branch, Habari Sub-Branch and nearly 70 other canals. “My resolution is that by 2031, no canal in the entire state will remain without rehabilitation of its lining,” Saini said.
Turning to environmental concerns, the Chief Minister announced a series of measures aimed at tackling rising air and water pollution. He said the World Bank had approved the Rs 2,716-crore Haryana Clean Air Project, which will be implemented across all districts till 2031.
Under the project, the state has set six key environmental targets. Primary particulate matter (PM 2.5) emissions are to be reduced by 122 kilotonnes, bringing down average exposure levels from 72 micrograms per cubic metre to 53 micrograms per cubic metre. Nitrogen oxide emissions will decline by 235.10 kilotonnes, ammonia by 197.70 kilotonnes, sulphur oxide by 39.20 kilotonnes, and greenhouse gas emissions by 3.90 million tonnes by 2031.
On water security, Saini announced that approval would be sought from the World Bank by October 2026 for the Rs 5,715-crore Water Secure Haryana Project. The project envisages construction of 106 canals and 620 ‘khals’, addressing waterlogging across 2 lakh acres, creating 62 new water bodies, implementing micro-irrigation on 23,700 acres, and irrigating nearly 28,000 acres using treated water from major sewage treatment plants in Jind, Kaithal and Gurugram.
In addition, the Chief Minister proposed a dedicated mission to eliminate pollution along the 313-km stretch of the Yamuna flowing through Haryana. The mission aims to ensure scientific treatment of all drain water entering the river by 2026-27 through expanded sewage treatment capacity, real-time monitoring of industrial units, prevention of untreated wastewater discharge, riverbank protection, green belt development and groundwater recharge.
Describing the Yamuna as the lifeline of Haryana’s economy, Saini said the government was committed to restoring its health even as the political spotlight remains firmly on the unresolved SYL issue.
