Mann meets Saini, wants YSL instead of SYL
Punjab CM Mann insists no water to share, while Haryana's Saini sees hope for SYL dispute resolution. Next meeting set for August 5.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday struck divergent notes on the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue. While the former said Punjab did not have spare water to share with any other state, Saini expressed confidence that the issue will be resolved soon, asserting the Punjab government also seeks a solution to the problem.
Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil convened a meeting with the two chief ministers in a bid to resolve the decades-old SYL canal dispute. On May 6, the Supreme Court had directed the two states to cooperate with the Centre in arriving at an amicable solution.
According to a statement from Mann’s office, the chief minister in the meeting mooted the idea of a Yamuna-Sutlej Link (YSL) canal instead of the SYL canal as the Sutlej river has already dried up and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water from it.
Rather, water from the Ganga and Yamuna should be supplied to Punjab through the Sutlej, Mann said. “The long-conceived project of Sarda-Yamuna Link needs to be taken up on priority and surplus water be transferred to river Yamuna at a suitable location…,” he said.
The AAP leader said SYL canal is an “emotive issue” for Punjab and added that land is not available for the project.
He also said the opportunity that has opened up with the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan must be duly utilised to fulfil the water needs of the state. Efforts should be made to bring water from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) to meet the growing demand, he added.
The Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan governing the use of the Indus river system, was suspended by India following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Haryana CM Saini said a meaningful discussion took place in a cordial atmosphere in the meeting, adding that it was decided that the next meeting will take place on August 5. He further said that Mann also acknowledged that this issue should be resolved, as it has remained pending for far too long.
Conceived in 1978 to bring Haryana’s share of Ravi-Beas water, the proposed 212-kilometre-long SYL canal consisted of two segments, a 91-kilometre channel in Haryana and a 121-kilometre carrier channel in Punjab. Haryana completed its portion of the channel in 1979, but Punjab has failed to complete the canal in its territory despite Supreme Court directions.
