E-Paper
CM Bhagwant Mann outrightly rejects Haryana’s SYL demand
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Friday outrightly rejected the Haryana government’s demand for the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, stating that there was no question of initiating this work
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday outrightly rejected the Haryana government’s demand for the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, stating that there was no question of initiating this work, as the state did not have any water to share with other states.
Mann, who met Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar here, said he told his counterpart in clear-cut terms that the canal cannot be constructed because the state did not have any surplus water. The land (for the construction of the canal) had also been denotified and went back to people at some places where they were now cultivating it, the CM said at a press conference after the meeting, asserting that he had done his homework on the SYL issue and presented Punjab’s position strongly.
The chief minister said the river waters availability had gone down substantially and the groundwater also depleted, seeking a reassessment of waters from the rivers. “If people of Haryana need water, both states should go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and request him to arrange water for them from Yamuna or Ganga or somewhere else. They (Centre) can decide what is to be done We have no enmity but how can we give water when we do not have it,” he said, questioning the Haryana government’s insistence on the canal.
Mann said that Haryana was presently getting 14.10 million acre-feet (MAF) of water from Sutlej, Yamuna and other rivulets, whereas Punjab is getting only 12.63 MAF. “Despite being smaller in area, Haryana is getting more water than Punjab and it is still demanding more water at the cost of Punjab. How can we give water to Haryana if our own fields are starving for it?” he said, adding, “Instead of seeking water from Punjab, Haryana should give water to the state from the Yamuna river.”
The CM further said that 1,400 km of rivers, canals and rivulets had dried up in the state due to which pressure had increased on groundwater. He said currently, 27% of Punjab’s agriculture was dependent on surface water whereas the remaining 73% was being done through oozing out the groundwater. Mann also trained his guns at the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). “These two parties are responsible for this situation. They were asking me to call an all-party meeting. History will never forgive them for their actions,” he said. Mann was flanked by the advocate general, Punjab, Vinod Ghai, additional chief secretary to CM A Venu Prasad and principal secretary, water resources, Krishan Kumar.
