Chandigarh: The chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana held a meeting Tuesday with Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on the fraught issue of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, but the interaction remained inconclusive with the two states sticking to their stands.
The only decision arrived at during the meeting was that the two chief ministers will meet again in the coming days to discuss the matter and see if a consensus could emerge.
The meeting was convened by Shekhawat following the Supreme Court’s instruction last month that the two states thrash out a solution to the nearly-four-decade-long dispute.
The SYL canal is a project demanded by Haryana — a state carved out of Punjab in 1966 — to get what it sees as its share of water from rivers in Punjab. Its claim has been supported by the Supreme Court but Punjab has vociferously opposed the project citing local requirement.
While Shekhawat told the media that the meeting Tuesday was cordial, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh issued a statement where he urged the central government to be cautious on the SYL issue, saying it “has the potential to disturb the nation’s security”.
He also reiterated the need for a tribunal to make a fresh time-bound assessment of water availability, a demand Punjab — which claims it doesn’t have surplus water — has been making to oppose Haryana’s bid.
He said Punjab has no water to spare anymore as the volume available in its rivers has depleted over the years.
On its part, Haryana reiterated its demand that Punjab build the remaining portion of the canal, which will facilitate irrigation in the state’s southern districts. Armed with two Supreme Court orders — from 15 January 2002 and 4 June 2004 — Haryana is seeking the share allocated to it by the central government in the 1970s. The construction of the canal was completely non-negotiable, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told mediapersons in Delhi.
While Khattar and Shekhawat attended the meeting in person, held in Delhi, Amarinder joined in through video link from his residence in Chandigarh.
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‘Mischievous move’
The biggest takeaway from the meeting for Punjab was Shekhawat’s suggestion that the construction of the canal can be started, and a decision on water-sharing taken later. The suggestion was made public in Amarinder’s statement.
Amarinder objected and said such a move would lead to Punjab “burning”.
“If you decide to go ahead with SYL, Punjab will burn and it will become a national problem, with Haryana and Rajasthan also suffering the impact. Punjab remains at risk from all ends and the water issue could further destabilise the state,” he said.
Senior officers of the Punjab government who were privy to what happened in the meeting said this was an extremely “mischievous” move by the Union minister, who “seemed to be advocating the case of the Haryana government instead of playing the role of an unbiased mediator”.
Talking to mediapersons later, Shekhawat said the meeting was cordial, adding that the two chief ministers will meet again to discuss the ground realities of the water situation in the states.
Addressing the media with Shekhawat, Khattar said the outcome of the meeting and the next, whether it leads to a consensus or not, will be conveyed to the Supreme Court.
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