The Central Government is once again trying to solve the long-standing Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue between Punjab and Haryana. The canal was meant to share river water between the two states.
On Thursday, the Jal Shakti Ministry wrote to the Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana to hold a meeting, likely around July 10 in Delhi. The aim is to find a solution through talks.
Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil is leading this effort after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to play an active role in resolving the matter. The court has set August 13 as the next date of hearing and asked both states to cooperate with the Centre.
The SYL canal was planned in 1981, and Haryana completed its 92 km stretch. But Punjab stopped work on its 122 km part in 1982. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled in Haryana’s favour, but Punjab passed a law in 2004 to cancel the agreement. This law was struck down by the court in 2016.
Punjab says it has no water to spare and wants the canal name changed to YSL. CM Bhagwant Mann claims that most of Punjab’s groundwater has dried up. Haryana, on the other hand, says it is not getting its fair share of water as per a 1976 order.
The canal issue started after the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 and has not been solved for nearly six decades.
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