New Delhi, November 20
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has impressed upon the Centre to constitute a fresh tribunal at an early date for the distribution of Yamuna waters in its territory as the previous award has outlived the present-day realities.

Capt Amarinder Singh, who met Union Waters Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi here today, emphasised that the waters in the Yamuna had dropped considerably, besides changing course. This river was the primary source of water for Punjab.

The Chief Minister stressed that the issue had assumed urgency as the case was coming up before the Supreme Court shortly. He was categoric that if the Centre agreed to Punjab’s demand for a tribunal to go into the controversial Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue afresh, it could inform the apex court accordingly.

He apprised the Union Minister of the serious difficulties being faced by Punjab because of the distribution of the Yamuna waters to neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan.

Capt Amarinder Singh’s government had moved the Supreme Court in January, seeking to declare the order passed by it as “not binding” on the state on the ground that the arrangement for construction of the canal as provided in the Rajiv-Longowal accord “is not enforceable under the changed circumstances.”