Punjab, Haryana fail to attain consensus on Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal problem

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The decades-old Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal problem between Punjab and Haryana continues to stay unresolved because the chief ministers of each states failed to achieve a consensus on Wednesday. 

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann pushed for altering the challenge’s nomenclature to Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL) as an alternative of the present title. Mann categorically said that “Punjab did not have a single drop of water to share with Haryana.”

“More than 78 per cent of our 150 blocks are in the extreme dark zone due to depletion of groundwater table, so Punjab can’t afford to share its water with any other state,” he mentioned after a gathering along with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khatar within the presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi.

Terming the challenge an “anti-Punjab” settlement, Mann mentioned the state was averaging 18.56 million acre-feet (MAF) when the pact was inked however has now been decreased to 12.63 MAF. He added that Haryana was averaging 14.10 MAF of water from Satluj, Yamuna and different rivulets and urged the centre to offer water from Ganga and Yamuna to Punjab via the Sutlej river.

Mann mentioned that that is the one viable different which will be thought of in wake of the alarming state of affairs of water shortage within the state. He mentioned that regardless of being smaller in space, Haryana is getting extra water than Punjab and was demanding extra water at his state’s expense. In wake of this truth, Mann mentioned, “how can we give water to Haryana if our own fields are starving for it?”

He bemoaned that in all of the water agreements throughout the globe, a clause is talked about that the settlement can be reviewed after 25 years in wake of local weather change. However, he mentioned that the SYL settlement is the one exception wherein no such clause has been talked about. 

After the assembly, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar mentioned that no consensus has been reached within the assembly. He mentioned that the Supreme Court in its choice had introduced that SYL needs to be constructed however Bhagwant Maan and his administrative wing usually are not able to discover a answer. 

“Instead of discussing this pivotal issue, the Punjab Chief Minister and his administrative wing are repeatedly saying that there is no water in the state. Rather they are asking to discuss sharing of water whereas a separate tribunal has been set up for discussing issues related to water sharing. Distribution of
water will be done according to the recommendation of the tribunal,” mentioned Khattar.

Khattar mentioned that the Punjab authorities has not accepted the Supreme Court’s choice whereby the Act introduced by the Punjab authorities within the yr 2004 has been repealed. “Punjab  Chief Minister says that the 2004 Act still exists which is completely unconstitutional,” he added.

Khattar mentioned that the SYL Canal needs to be constructed and the Haryana Government would apprise the Supreme Court about Punjab’s reluctance over this problem. “We will accept the decision of the Supreme Court in this regard,” added Khattar.

CHANDIGARH: The decades-old Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal problem between Punjab and Haryana continues to stay unresolved because the chief ministers of each states failed to achieve a consensus on Wednesday. 

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann pushed for altering the challenge’s nomenclature to Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL) as an alternative of the present title. Mann categorically said that “Punjab did not have a single drop of water to share with Haryana.”

“More than 78 per cent of our 150 blocks are in the extreme dark zone due to depletion of groundwater table, so Punjab can’t afford to share its water with any other state,” he mentioned after a gathering along with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khatar within the presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi.

Terming the challenge an “anti-Punjab” settlement, Mann mentioned the state was averaging 18.56 million acre-feet (MAF) when the pact was inked however has now been decreased to 12.63 MAF. He added that Haryana was averaging 14.10 MAF of water from Satluj, Yamuna and different rivulets and urged the centre to offer water from Ganga and Yamuna to Punjab via the Sutlej river.

Mann mentioned that that is the one viable different which will be thought of in wake of the alarming state of affairs of water shortage within the state. He mentioned that regardless of being smaller in space, Haryana is getting extra water than Punjab and was demanding extra water at his state’s expense. In wake of this truth, Mann mentioned, “how can we give water to Haryana if our own fields are starving for it?”

He bemoaned that in all of the water agreements throughout the globe, a clause is talked about that the settlement can be reviewed after 25 years in wake of local weather change. However, he mentioned that the SYL settlement is the one exception wherein no such clause has been talked about. 

After the assembly, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar mentioned that no consensus has been reached within the assembly. He mentioned that the Supreme Court in its choice had introduced that SYL needs to be constructed however Bhagwant Maan and his administrative wing usually are not able to discover a answer. 

“Instead of discussing this pivotal problem, the Punjab Chief Minister and his administrative wing are repeatedly saying that there isn’t a water within the state. Rather they’re asking to debate sharing of water whereas a separate tribunal has been arrange for discussing points associated to water sharing. Distribution of
water can be performed in accordance with the advice of the tribunal,” mentioned Khattar.

Khattar mentioned that the Punjab authorities has not accepted the Supreme Court’s choice whereby the Act introduced by the Punjab authorities within the yr 2004 has been repealed. “Punjab  Chief Minister says that the 2004 Act still exists which is completely unconstitutional,” he added.

Khattar mentioned that the SYL Canal needs to be constructed and the Haryana Government would apprise the Supreme Court about Punjab’s reluctance over this problem. “We will accept the decision of the Supreme Court in this regard,” added Khattar.