SYL canal issue: Khattar counters Bhagwant Mann, says Supreme Court directive has to be followed

Chandigarh, October 6

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said the Supreme Court’s directive has to be followed, remarks that come after Punjab said there is no question of building the Sutlej-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal as the state has no spare water that can be shared.

“When the Supreme Court gives its decision, it is not about whether it will bring change in anyone’s attitude,” Khattar said. He was asked whether Punjab’s claim that it does not have any water to spare will bring any change in their attitude in the wake of recent observations of the apex court in the SYL canal issue.

“The Supreme Court’s directive has to be followed,” Khattar told reporters here.

On Thursday, a day after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab which was allocated for construction of part of the canal in the state, the Punjab Cabinet said there is no question of building the canal as the state has no spare water to share with any other state.

Reacting to the development, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said the Punjabis and his party will not allow even one drop of water to go out from the state to Haryana.

Shiromani Akali Dal is very clear. We will terminate all water sharing agreements once we assume power in the State. We will stop water flowing into #Rajasthan. We also demand that the historic injustice meted out to Punjab on the #SYL canal issue be corrected by bringing in… pic.twitter.com/cvR8970ig4

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) October 6, 2023

Badal accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP dispensation of failing to safeguard Punjab’s interests on the SYL canal issue.

In Haryana, Khattar said his state has always been in favour of finding solutions through mutual dialogue. But Punjab’s attitude towards the construction of SYL canal and the distribution of water has always been adamant, he said.

Taking on the Aam Aadmi Party, Khattar accused them of not having any clear stand on SYL issue.

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“??” ??????? ?? ???? #SYL ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ?????????????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ????? pic.twitter.com/VXY3Tjz0hI

— Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) October 6, 2023

“The way they have been shedding crocodile tears, it does not have any meaning,” he said.

Khattar referred to the media interactions of Haryana AAP leaders being held here in Punjab ministerial bungalow and alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s Haryana unit cannot be expected to take any real stand in the state’s favour.

He also said at the same venue, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and other leaders have been asserting that no water will be given to Haryana.

A kind of match-fixing is going on, he added targeting the AAP.

“If they (Haryana AAP) had to talk of Haryana’s interest, I would have offered them to do this (media interactions) in Haryana Niwas,” he said.

He also called AAP dispensations “do mukhi sarkar” (double-faced) which is speaking two different things on one platform. “The Delhi CM says one thing, the Punjab Finance Minister says another, their other leaders say another thing, they have no clear stand”.

During the hearing in the SYL matter on Wednesday, the SC asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab which was allocated for the construction of a part of the SYL canal in the state and make an estimate about the extent of construction carried out there.

“I thank the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” said Khattar, while adding SYL is the lifeline of Haryana and the right of the people of Haryana.

The chief minister has urged the central government to immediately start the survey process in Punjab to complete the work of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal.

Meanwhile, a Haryana government statement quoting Khattar said Punjab has always insisted on sharing water instead of SYL construction, whereas in the year 2002, the Supreme Court had given a decree in favour of Haryana regarding the construction of the canal and sharing of water, making it clear that under the Article 9.1 and 9.2 of the parliament, the cases of disputes between the states will be referred to a tribunal according to the ‘Inter-State Water Disputes Act’.

“Also, the dispute over the construction of the SYL canal has not been linked to Para 9.3 of the agreement. This makes it clear that the construction of the SYL canal has nothing to do with water sharing among the states and is not a water dispute,” said Khattar.

The chief minister, according to the statement, said that due to the delay in the construction of the SYL canal by Punjab, not only Haryana is facing a water crisis, but the excess water of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers is going to Pakistan.

“Due to this, the country is being deprived of taking advantage of its water wealth. In the last 10 years, 1.68 MAF (million acre feet) of Sutlej water and 0.58 MAF of Ravi-Beas water flowed to Pakistan. Therefore, it is important that the construction of the SYL canal be completed as soon as possible to prevent the loss of water resources at the national level,” he said.

Khattar said that due to the non-completion of SYL construction, farmers of Haryana are suffering huge losses. With the completion of the construction of the canal, they will have additional water available for irrigation, which will not only increase the agricultural production but will also help increase the income of the farmers, he said.

Led by Badal, a SAD delegation met Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit here on Friday and put forth his party’s concerns on the SYL canal issue.

Speaking to reporters later, Badal said the delegation briefed the governor how the AAP government had “betrayed Punjab and Punjabis” by failing to protect the state’s interests in the apex court on the SYL canal issue and “deserved to be dismissed immediately”.

Badal claimed the AAP government in Punjab wants to give water to Haryana at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s behest.

Targeting the AAP, Badal said Kejriwal has an eye on the elections in Haryana.

“The press conference by Haryana AAP leaders are being held against the interests of Punjab in Punjab ministerial bungalows here where the AAP’s Haryana unit is saying that the state should be given the SYL water,” he said.

Entire Punjab is saying there is no spare water to share “nor will we give even if we have to lay down our lives”, he added.

Accompanied by senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia and other party leaders, including Daljit Singh Cheema, Badal said former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal-led government had returned the land acquired for the SYL canal to the original owners free of cost.

“The people of Punjab will not let single drop of water to go out. As the SAD president, I want to state this clearly that our party leaders preferred jails but did not allow canal construction, neither will they now, nor will water go out, this is the voice of people of Punjab,” he said.

On the Supreme Court asking the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab which was allocated for construction of part of the SYL canal, Badal said, “Neither will survey take place nor will we allow. Survey for what, there is no water. The land (has been returned to farmers) is not there. I also want to request the honourable court with folded hands that this (water) is Punjab’s life, no one can take it.” He also said if the SAD government comes to power, they will revisit all water sharing agreements and not allow one extra drop of water to go to Rajasthan.

“We also demand that the historic injustice meted out to Punjab on the SYL canal issue be corrected by bringing in legislation in the Parliament to settle the issue once and for all on the Riparian Principle under which Punjab has an inalienable right over all water flowing in its territory,” he said.

Badal targeted the Congress for failing to safeguard Punjab’s interest on the SYL matter.

The SYL canal was conceptualized for effective allocation of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers. The project envisaged a 214-km canal, of which a 122-km stretch was to be constructed in Punjab and the remaining 92 km in Haryana.

Haryana has completed the project in its territory but Punjab, which launched the construction work in 1982, shelved it subsequently.

The SAD delegation also urged the governor to order a CBI probe into alleged illegal mining in the state which the opposition party claimed was going on a large scale.

Badal said they apprised the governor that “illegal mining was going on a large scale in the state”.

To a poser on AAP leader Sanjay Singh’s arrest in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case, Badal said the SAD had last year said that the AAP government in Punjab had followed the “Delhi model” while framing the excise policy and already demanded a thorough probe by the CBI.

He added that they raised the matter during their meeting with the governor and demanded a thorough investigation.