Chandigarh,
October 6
In a scathing attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for having an alleged ‘double stand’ over the Setluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) issue, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the Aam Admi Party should articulate a definitive stance on the matter.
He said that the AAP should not confine its discussions solely to Punjab Bhawan but should extend its deliberations to encompass a wider perspective on the SYL canal dispute.
Addressing a press conference held here Wednesday, the Chief Minister called the Mann government a ‘Dau Muhi sarkar’ for giving contradictory statements on the SYL issue. He said that instead of finding an amicable solution to this issue, the Punjab government is shedding crocodile tears.
Chief Minister said that the Supreme Court has given a three-month deadline to the central government to take possession of the land which has been acquired.
Khattar has also urged the Central Government to immediately start the survey process in Punjab to complete the work of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal.
Haryana has always been in favour of finding solutions through mutual dialogue. But Punjab’s attitude towards the construction of SYL and the distribution of water has always been adamant, he said.
Khattar further alleged that 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 Sh. Manohar Lal.
The Chief Minister 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 is going to Pakistan. Due to this, the country is being deprived of taking advantage of its water wealth. In the last ten years, 1.68 MFA of Sutlej water and 0.58 MFA of Ravi-Beas water have 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, informed Sh. Manohar Lal.