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Haryana to reach out to Centre over SYL deadlock with Punjab
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that after Friday’s meeting, both the states did not reach a consensus on the construction of the SYL canal
: Following a fresh stalemate on the issue of construction of Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the Haryana government on Friday said it will reach out to Union jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to brief him about the outcome.
The Supreme Court in its September 6 order had said that it expected Union jal shakti ministry as well as Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to lend full cooperation to see that the matter now proceeds further. The apex court had also granted four months’ time to submit a progress report in this regard.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that after Friday’s meeting, both the states did not reach a consensus on the construction of the SYL canal.
Khattar said that the Supreme Court has asked for the construction of SYL, to which Punjab has disagreed.
“The construction of SYL is the lifeline for Haryana. We will be holding a meeting with Union minister of jal shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to brief him about Friday’s meeting,” Khattar said.
He said that apart from SYL, some other key issues were discussed with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. A committee of officials of the Irrigation department of both the states has been formed to clean Ghaggar river, Khattar said.
The Haryana government is pressing for the implementation of the Supreme Court’s January 15, 2002, and June 4, 2004, orders to complete the remaining portion of the canal by Punjab. The last meeting between the Haryana and Punjab chief ministers on the issue took place on August 18, 2020.
What the SC said
The Supreme Court during its last hearing on the issue of non-completion of SYL canal by Punjab had pressed for early mediation and sought a progress report from the Attorney General in four months. The matter will be taken by the apex court on January 19, 2023.
An apex court bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had on September 6, 2022 said that the issue in question is of execution of a decree of the apex court on the aspect of the construction of SYL canal which has been languishing for two decades.
“The endeavour of this court has been to arrive at a mediated settlement. That should not be taken as a license for an infinite period of time to lapse,” the apex court said in its September 6, 2022 order.
During the September 6 hearing, the Union jal shakti ministry suggested that the construction of the canal and other carrier canals could be completed while discussion on water sharing could continue for arriving at an agreement.
The SC in its January 15, 2002 order had directed the Central government to discharge its constitutional obligation in implementation of the direction pertaining to the digging of canal. The SC said if the SYL canal is not completed within one year by Punjab, then the Union government should get it done through its own agencies as expeditiously as possible so that Haryana is able to draw the full quantity of water that has already been allotted to its share.
Punjab did not comply with January 15, 2002 orders of the apex court and on January 18, 2002 filed an application for review of the 2002 judgment. The review application was dismissed on March 5, 2002 by the SC.
On January 13, 2003, Punjab filed a suit in the SC seeking itself to be discharged from the obligation to construct the SYL canal imposed by the mandatory injunction decreed by the apex court’s January 15, 2002 judgment and declare that section 14 of the inter-state water disputes Act, 1956 – under which the Eradi tribunal was constituted - is no longer enforceable. The apex court on June 4, 2004 dismissed the Punjab’s suit and allowed the execution petition filed by Haryana. ENDS
