SYL meet: Fresh round inconclusive; Punjab, Haryana stick to their stance

Secretary UP Singh said both the states articulated their respective point of views in Friday’s meeting and the discussions would carry on in the next meeting likely to be held on August 21.

The fresh round of meetings between officials of the central, Punjab and Haryana governments on the completion of the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal remained inconclusive on Friday.

Punjab officials have been maintaining that volume of water flowing through Punjab rivers has come down drastically and the issue needs a relook. (HT image)

The meeting was convened on the directions of the Supreme Court, which had on July 9 requested the chief ministers of two states to form a committee of officers and ensure that they deliberate with the intervention of the Centre at the highest level to work out a solution. “Any alternative can only be one that is acceptable in toto to Haryana and Rajasthan (sic),” the court said. A second round of meeting is expected next week.

Both Punjab and Haryana maintained their stated positions on the issue in the meeting chaired by secretary, Union ministry of water resources, UP Singh, and attended by the chief secretaries and principal secretaries, irrigation department, of Punjab and Haryana.

Secretary UP Singh said both the states articulated their respective point of views in Friday’s meeting and the discussions would carry on in the next meeting likely to be held on August 21.

While the Punjab government has sought a reassessment of the volume of river waters, the Haryana government is firm that its share of 3.5 million acre feet (MAF) in the Ravi and Beas waters and the completion of the canal are non-negotiable.

Punjab officials have been maintaining that volume of water flowing through Punjab rivers has come down drastically and the issue needs a relook. Haryana officials, however, maintained that Punjab has to comply with the Supreme Court orders of January 15, 2002, and June 4, 2004, on completion of the remaining portion of the canal in the Punjab territory. At present, Haryana gets 1.62MAF of Ravi and Beas waters.

The Supreme Court had on July 11, 2017, said that the authorities of both states remember that a decree passed by the apex court has to be respected and executed. “Our granting of time does not endow Punjab with any kind of liberty to devour time and pave the path of procrastination. On the contrary, take a stand of amiability and amicability so that the facilitator, that is the central government, can bring both parties together to resolve the issue,” the SC had said.