Haryana agriculture minister asks farmers to include SYL Canal issue among their demands

Raking up the issue of Satluj-Yamuna Link(SYL) Canal, JP Dalal, Haryana’s agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister, on Sunday appealed to individuals and organisations

Raking up the issue of Satluj-Yamuna Link(SYL) Canal, JP Dalal, Haryana’s agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister, on Sunday appealed to individuals and organisations supporting or participating in the ongoing farmers’ agitation to include the construction of the canal among their list of demands. He said that irrigation water was the biggest issue confronting the farmers. Dalal asked farmer leaders to include this demand during their negotiation with Central government representatives.

HT Image

“SYL canal should be constructed for the farmers of Haryana since irrigation is a pressing problem. The issue has been pending since the past 40 years. We won the case in the Supreme Court too. I appeal to different farm leaders and their supporters across party lines to ensure that the provision for the construction of SYL canal is also inserted in the charter of demands,” said Dalal.

Punjab and Haryana have been locked in a dispute over the sharing of the Ravi-Beas waters for decades. While Haryana wants its share, as was decided when the state was carved out of Punjab, along with Himachal Pradesh 50 years ago, successive Punjab governments have refused to share water. The 212km-long SYL canal was to carry Haryana’s share of water to its dry and arid southern part. While 121km of the canal was supposed to run through Punjab, the remaining 91km was meant to irrigate Haryana. While the latter completed the work in June 1980, Punjab is yet to complete its share of the canal.

Dalal said that while the farmers’ agitation had started from the neighbouring state of Punjab, many people from Haryana have also extended support to the protests. “Nowadays, some khap leaders, former chief ministers and independent MLAs from our state have extended support. Every individual’s sentiments are attached to farmers. I am also with the farmers. However, for farmers in Haryana, the biggest issue is water for irrigation. Every other issue is secondary. Farmers need water for irrigation first and foremost,” said Dalal.

He said that the situation of farmers in some districts in South Haryana was dire with the water table going down and the underground water resources getting depleted. “In some village in Loharu, where I come from, even drinking water level has been depleted. Farmers don’t get water for irrigation. How will there be any crops without water?” asked Dalal.

Outlining the various measures undertaken by the state government for the welfare of farmers, Dalal said that opponents were incorrectly propagating that the government was going to end the mandi system. “Everyone is doing politics at their end. We, however, are the sons of farmers and will continue to take decisions in the interest of farmers,” said Dalal.

In response to a question about former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda seeking his resignation over his comments alluding to foreign funding of the agitation, Dalal said that people could seek his resignation if it would benefit the interests of farmers. “You can seek my resignation if you want. I will prioritise the interests of farmers of Haryana first,” he said.