CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has reached out to his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) issue, making an offer of a dialogue to resolve any hurdle or obstacles hindering the canal construction. The offer by Haryana comes notwithstanding Punjab government’s stand that it will not share a single drop of additional water with any other state at any cost.
The chief minister has communicated with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann through a letter and made it clear that he is ready for dialogue to resolve any hurdle or obstacles hindering the construction of the SYL canal. Khattar said that the Supreme Court issued a comprehensive order on October 4, explicitly stating that “the execution is not related to the allocation of water”.
Khattar said that every other resident of the state of Haryana is anxiously anticipating the prompt construction of SYL canal within Punjab, as per the decree outlined in Original Case no. 6 of 1996. Apart from this, he write, he remains committed to taking any necessary action “to bring this long-awaited aspiration of his people and the dry land of southern Haryana”.
He conveyed his optimism that the Punjab government will collaborate and contribute to the resolution of this matter.The Punjab Chief Minister had written a letter to Khattar on October 3, a day before the Supreme Court’s decision on October 4, requesting a bilateral meeting on this issue. Prior to this, the last meeting between the two was held on October 14, 2022.
Subsequently, the Union jal shakti minister conducted a second round of discussions on January 4, 2023, during which the chief ministers of both states were present. It is noteworthy that all meetings concerning the SYL canal remained inconclusive, primarily due to the Punjab government’s stance on the matter. The Supreme Court had on October 4 asked the Central government to survey the portion of land in Punjab which was allocated for the construction of part of the SYL canal in the state and make an estimate of the extent of construction carried out there. All political parties within Punjab has asserted that the state does not have a single drop of additional water to share with any other state, though political outfits in Haryana welcomed the apex court directions.
‘Anxiously anticipate prompt construction’
Khattar said that every resident of Haryana is anxiously anticipating the prompt construction of SYL canal within Punjab, as per the decree outlined in Original Case no. 6 of 1996. He said that SC issued a order on
October 4