State won't build its part of SYL, Supreme Court told
New Delhi, March 18
There appears to be no immediate solution to the vexed Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue as the Punjab Government has refused to construct its part of the canal even as the Haryana Government insisted on construction of the canal in terms of the 2002 verdict of the Supreme Court.
In a report filed in the top court, the Centre said, “In 2016, Punjab had denotified the land acquired for the SYL and returned it to farmers. Therefore, the construction now may raise law and order problems.”
The Union Jal Shakti Ministry’s report has been filed in response to the top court’s September 6, 2022, order seeking a status report on the progress made in the meeting of CMs and senior bureaucrats of Punjab and Haryana on the issue.
In its report, the Centre said that “Punjab was of the view that the water availability in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej system of rivers has reduced and there is no excess water for sharing with Haryana… As there is no excess water in the Beas and Sutlej to be shared with Haryana, the need for the construction of the SYL canal does not arise,” the report read.
The Haryana Government declined to deliberate on any aspect other than the construction of the canal, in terms of the 2002 Supreme Court judgment. It also sought to highlight that the Punjab law on termination of agreements has already been declared unconstitutional by the top court.
