Khattar meets Mann today; to push for early construction of SYL Canal

Geetanjali Gayatri

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Chandigarh, October 13

Haryana has a one-point agenda of expediting the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal when the CMs of Punjab and Haryana meet tomorrow.

Row since Haryana’s formation

• 1966: Haryana carved out after reorganisation of Punjab, with decision that the new state would get its due share in water
• 1977: The Haryana Govt paid Rs 1 crore to Punjab for canal construction
• 1982: Then PM Indira Gandhi launched construction of the canal at Kapoori village in Patiala district
• 1999: Haryana files suit in the SC demanding SYL construction
• 2004: The SC ordered the canal to be completed either by the Punjab Govt or by the central PWD
• Punjab passed the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, abrogating all river water pacts with neighbouring states
• The Act referred to the SC by the President of India
• 2016: The court says the Punjab Act is not in keeping with the Constitution
• Punjab passes the Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal Land (Transfer of Propriety Rights) Bill and returns the land to original owners
• The SC orders status quo; Home Secretary, GOI, Punjab Chief Secretary and DGP appointed court receivers of the land
• 2020: The CMs of Punjab and Haryana participate in a meeting coordinated by the Jal Shakti Ministry following SC directions
• September 2022: The SC issues a directive stating that the SYL issue should be resolved by Punjab and Haryana

Punjab, after dodging a meeting on the SYL on several occasions in the past, has finally fallen in line following a recent Supreme Court directive, asking the two states to resolve the long-standing issue.

Though the dispute on the sharing of the river water between the two neighbouring states dates back to 1966 (when Haryana was carved out), sources in the Haryana Government said the issue was not on the table as far as tomorrow’s meeting was concerned.

“The matter concerning the sharing of water is going on separately and has nothing to do with the construction of the canal. The SC has made it clear that it cannot intervene in a water dispute that will be settled by a tribunal. We are only looking at the construction of the SYL Canal,” sources said.

Meanwhile, CM Manohar Lal Khattar today said, “We want the SYL constructed so that the availability of water to farmers in Haryana can be ensured.” He expressed optimism that the crucial meeting would result in a positive solution.

Haryana has maintained that despite two Supreme Court judgments, Punjab has not completed the SYL construction. In fact, Punjab tried to obstruct the implementation of the SC decisions by enacting the cancellation of agreement Act in 2004.

According to an order of the Government of India dated March 24, 1976, 3.5 MAF of water was allocated to Haryana out of the surplus water of Ravi and Beas. Due to the non-completion of the SYL Canal, Haryana is using only 1.62 MAF of water, while Punjab is illegally using about 1.9 MAF of water out of Haryana’s share by not completing the SYL Canal in its territory.

The work on the 214-km canal (122 km in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana), which started in 1982, was stopped due to militancy and protests by farmers.

In 2002, the SC ordered the construction of the SYL. In an execution petition by Haryana in 2004, it said the canal should be constructed either by the Punjab Government or a central agency.

However, before the deadline set by the court expired, Punjab terminated the river water agreement after which a presidential reference was made in 2006. In 2016, the SC said it was wrong to terminate the agreement and that the project should be executed.

In 2020, the court again observed that a meeting should be convened at the “highest level” after which the CMs of the two states held a meeting, which was coordinated by the Jal Shakti Ministry.

Though Punjab had agreed to hold a bilateral meeting after that too, no such meeting took place despite the Haryana Government approaching Punjab a few times.