Today once again a meeting was held in Delhi between Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Haryana CM under the leadership of Union Water Power Minister CR Patil regarding Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. After the meeting, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
CM Mann said that if the Indus Treaty is cancelled, the water problems will be solved. The dispute is only about 2-3 MAF, but this will bring 24 MAF water. Trump should not tweet something like that there was a treaty, I have restored it. If the treaty is cancelled, we will get water.
Apart from this, CM Mann said that some things are getting resolved. The talks have moved a few steps forward. We have inherited it, but this issue has become a sore for both the states. Some points have emerged in today's talks, which can lead to some solution.
There will be a meeting once again before the 13th
CM Mann said that the 5th turn meeting was held. In which senior officials were also present. The matter is going on in the Supreme Court. Today the talks took place in a good atmosphere. The date of hearing is on 13th August. The honourable court had said that it would be better if we sit and talk.
Right now there is a threat of flood. We will meet again before 13th. The world is based on hope and I hope that I stand firm in presenting Punjab's side and the central government will understand it. We are a food bowl, which needs water. Riparian lodges should be considered after 25 years.
Know what happened in the last meeting
The last meeting was held on 9th July. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had laid down a condition. CM Mann had said that he has no problem in giving water, but the condition is that Punjab should get the water of Ravi first. Punjab's stand on SYL is clear. This will not happen. Haryana is our brother, if we get water, there is no problem in further water supply.
Before the meeting, CM Mann and CM Saini welcomed each other by hugging each other. This was the first meeting of the CMs of both the states under the leadership of CR Patil and the talks were held in a positive atmosphere.
Mann told the media after the meeting that the talks were held in a very good atmosphere. Haryana CM also said that the meeting was fruitful. Punjab and Haryana are brothers. Both have the same Behra (courtyard). Efforts are being made to find a solution to this issue.
The CM had found a middle path
The Punjab CM had said in the last meeting that a hope has been created by the meeting. The water of the Indus Water Agreement, which was canceled with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, should be brought to Punjab. Jhelum water cannot come to Punjab, but Chenab and Ravi water can come. This water can come through Pong, Ranjit Sagar Dam and Bhakra Dam.
What problem do we have in giving that water to Haryana further? Haryana is our brother. We are the heirs of brother Ghanayya, who had given water to the enemies. I told the minister that 23 million litre feet (MAF) of water will go from there. We are fighting for two-three MAF, so what problem will we have?
Two-four canals will be built in Punjab. This will make Punjab riparian again. Minister Patil has responded positively to his statement. However, Punjab's stand on the SYL issue is clear.
Efforts to build consensus before August 13 continue
SYL is 212 km long, previous meetings were inconclusive. In this 212 km long canal, 92 km of Haryana's part has been built, while the construction of Punjab's 122 km part is still incomplete. This meeting is an attempt to build consensus between the two states before the hearing in the Supreme Court on August 13.
The Supreme Court had ruled in favor of Haryana in January 2002 and ordered Punjab to build the canal, but in 2004, the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, passed a law in the Assembly and canceled the 1981 agreement.
Meetings have been held 4 times before
The first meeting of the CMs of Punjab and Haryana on this issue was held on 18 August 2020, while the second meeting was held on 14 October 2022 and the third meeting was held on 4 January 2023. After this, the last meeting was held on 9 July. But no consensus could be reached between the two sides.
The entire dispute 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 showing reluctance regarding the construction of SYL canal.
In 1979, Haryana knocked on the door of the Supreme Court demanding the construction of SYL. On July 11, 1979, Punjab challenged Section 78 of the Reorganization Act in the Supreme Court.
After the dismissal of the Punjab government in 1980, an agreement was reached between the two states in 1981 in the presence of PM Indira Gandhi. In 1982, Indira Gandhi started the construction of the canal by breaking the bank in Kapuri village of Patiala.
In protest against this, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opened a front against the digging of SYL. In 1985, the Rajiv-Longowal agreement was signed, in which the construction of the Punjab Canal was agreed upon.
On July 3, 1990, two engineers associated with the construction of SYL were also murdered. The then CM of Haryana, Hukam Singh, demanded from the central government that the construction work be handed over to the BSF.
In 1996, the Supreme Court directed Punjab to build the SYL canal in one year on 2002. In 2015, Haryana requested the Supreme Court to form a constitutional bench for hearing the case.
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 filling up the 121 km long canal in Punjab began. The work of filling up the canal was stopped by the Supreme Court by ordering status quo till March 19.
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