Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday criticised the BJP government in Haryana over the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue. He said the recently presented Haryana budget did not earmark any funds for the project, keeping in mind the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
His comments are being seen as a response to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s frequent visits to Punjab. Saini has been presenting his government’s governance model as an alternative to the AAP’s model in the neighbouring state.
Meanwhile, opposition parties in Haryana — the Congress and the INLD — have also pointed out that the budget made no mention of steps to secure the state’s share of SYL water from Punjab.
Replying to a question on the SYL canal issue, Cheema said "Every year they (Haryana government) keep funds for the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal. But this year, they did not in the wake of the 2027 assembly polls in Punjab." “I think they will clarify that they have closed the SYL chapter. I think they will leave the claim over the SYL in the Supreme Court and meetings of states' committees,” the Punjab minister said. The SYL canal dispute has long been a major issue between Punjab and Haryana.
The Punjab government has repeatedly said the state does not have surplus water to share and has demanded its rightful share of Indus river waters. On the other hand, the Haryana government insists that it has not been receiving its share of river water due to the non-construction of the SYL canal. Last year in May, the Supreme Court directed both states to cooperate with the Centre to find an amicable solution to the decades-old dispute over the canal.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also discussed the SYL canal issue during a meeting on January 27.
During that meeting, Mann said his government was committed to protecting Punjab’s interests in the water dispute while also trying to find a mutually acceptable solution.
As no consensus was reached in the meeting, both chief ministers had decided that officers from the two states would continue discussions and update them on the progress. The SYL canal was originally planned to ensure effective sharing of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers between Punjab and Haryana.
The project envisages a 214-kilometre canal, of which 122 km was to be built in Punjab and the remaining 92 km in Haryana. Haryana has completed construction in its territory, but Punjab, which started the work in 1982, later stopped the project.
Also read: Punjab’s debt-to-GSDP ratio down to 44.47 pc: Cheema
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