CHANDIGARH: On the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal issue, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini held a meeting here today in a cordial atmosphere. However, the talks ended inconclusively, with both leaders agreeing that a solution could only be achieved through sustained dialogue.
They announced that officials from both states would meet three to four times a month to work towards a resolution.
The meeting, which lasted around 30 minutes, was held at a five-star hotel, during which both leaders agreed to carry forward the ongoing positive dialogue. It was convened following directions from the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly urged both states to arrive at an amicable solution through the mediation of the Union government.
This was the sixth such meeting since August 2020.
In November last year, Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil had written to both Chief Ministers, asking them to hold a bilateral meeting to resolve the issue amicably. Sources said Patil’s letter clarified that the meeting would not be chaired by him and that the outcome of the discussions should be sent to the ministry for submission before the Supreme Court on the next date of hearing.
The Haryana government took the initiative by writing to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, inviting him for talks, which were subsequently accepted.
Addressing a joint press briefing after the meeting, Mann said the discussions were held in a positive atmosphere to resolve the three-decade-old deadlock.
“Haryana is not our enemy but our brother. This is a legacy issue, and both states want a resolution. Today, we have decided that officials from both sides will meet frequently—three to four times a month—to find a solution without compromising the rights of either state,” he said.
Mann added, “Juice will not flow in the SYL canal, water will flow. As long as the issue of water is not sorted, there is no point in constructing the canal.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the meeting was held in a positive and cordial atmosphere.
“When discussions take place in a constructive environment, the outcomes are also meaningful. The dialogue will now move to the administrative level. With mutual consent, both states have decided to hold meetings between irrigation department officers for detailed discussions on SYL-related issues so that practical and lasting solutions can be worked out,” he said.
Saini added that meetings were being held continuously in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court, and today’s meeting was organized in the same spirit. He noted that earlier as well, a meeting had been held with the mediation of Union Minister for Water Resources C.R. Patil.
Haryana Irrigation Minister Shruti Choudhry and Punjab Minister Birender Goyal were also present, along with senior officers from both states.
The Haryana government had a single-point agenda—that the Punjab government should complete the construction of the canal on its side in view of the Supreme Court’s directions.
The Punjab government, however, has consistently maintained that the state has no surplus water to share and has demanded its legitimate share of Indus waters. Chief Minister Mann has earlier urged the Central government to utilize the waters of the Chenab River to resolve the water-sharing dispute between Punjab and Haryana and has sought the scrapping of the SYL canal project.
He has also proposed the idea of a Yamuna-Sutlej Link (YSL) canal instead of the SYL, arguing that the Sutlej River has already dried up and that there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water from it.