Chandigarh: The Punjab chief minister and his Haryana counterpart are expected to meet in Chandigarh on Jan 27 to discuss the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue. The move follows the Supreme Court’s directive issued on May 6 last year, asking both states to cooperate with the Centre to find an amicable solution.In his meeting with Union mome minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Jan 17, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann reiterated that Punjab has no surplus water to share with other states, citing a substantial decrease in the flow of the Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas rivers. He termed the SYL canal unviable, noting that while these rivers do not flow through Haryana, Delhi, or Rajasthan, those states are allocated 60% of the water.According to sources in the govt, apart from Punjab CM and his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini, senior officials of the two neighbouring states are likely to attend the upcoming meeting.On Aug 5, 2025, a meeting was held between Punjab and Haryana under the chairmanship of Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil on the issue of SYL. CM Mann had later said, “This issue has been ongoing for a long time… The matter is also in the Supreme Court. Today, discussions took place in a good atmosphere… The Supreme Court said that if this issue can be resolved through talks, meetings should be held… Some positive steps are being taken… There is no fight between the people of Punjab and Haryana, but it was politicised.”The SYL canal was conceptualised for the effective allocation of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers. The project envisaged a 214-km canal, of which 122 km was to be constructed in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana.Haryana completed the project in its territory, but Punjab, which launched the construction work in 1982, later shelved it. The dispute between the two states has been lingering on for decades.At the 32nd Northern Zonal Council (NZC) meeting in Faridabad on Nov 11, 2025, Mann claimed that there was no scientific calculation regarding the availability of water even in the years 1976 and 1981, and the Centre decided it unilaterally. Punjab disputed the availability of water at 17.17 MAF since 1981 itself, particularly when all international water agreements mention that the water availability needs to be assessed every 25 years, he said.He demanded that all proceedings on SYL should therefore be kept in abeyance until the tribunal gives its final award, adding that Punjab already conveyed that future discussions may be possible only after a fresh, scientific reassessment of water availability.MSID:: 127399757 413 |
