Police cordons area near Sutlej Yamuna Link canal

Supreme Court has made it clear that Punjab will have to comply with its order on construction of SYL canal.

Updated: Thursday, February 23, 2017, 16:16 [IST]

Patiala, Feb 23: Police cordoned off area near Sutlej Yamuna Link canal in Patiala's Kapuri village on the Punjab-Haryana border. Security arrangement was tightened in Ambala too in view of call given by Indian National Lok Dal to dig SYL near Shambhu Barrier.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday had made it clear that Punjab will have to comply with its order on construction of SYL canal. SC had also added that the ongoing controversy over the project must be brought to an end at the earliest.

JCB machines pressed into service by youth activists of Shiromani Akali Dal for filling Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal near Banu Chandigarh road. Image courtesy: PTI.

SC bench of Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy had said, "There are two orders by the court earlier and also a reference on the issue. Canal has to be constructed. The decree has to be executed either through legal process or parties themselves sit together and find out a solution. If Haryana and Punjab fail to sort out then we have to pass order."

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani and R S Suri who appear for Punjab informed the court that SYL canal dispute can't be effectively resolved through legal process and that centre should be asked to find a political solution for the issue.

Counsel for Haryana government, senior advocate Shyam Diwan maintained that his client was committed to maintaining law and order.

The next hearing for the matter is on March 2.

SYL controversy:

Water sharing proposal was formed for Haryana and Punjab after Haryana was carved out of Punjab. Central government had issued notification to build Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal so that Haryana can get water. Haryana constructed the canal on their part but Punjab did not as it was not in the state's interest.

Only when then PM Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal president Sant Harchand Singh Longowal signed 'Settlement Accord' that Punjab began construction of canal on its side. The construction work was however very slow and it was delayed often.

Water Tribunal kept giving Punjab orders regularly to quicken the pace of canal construction. The matter came to Supreme Court after then CM of Punjab Anarinder Singh terminated the contract for water sharing with Haryana in 2004.

The matter has been with SC since then.

OneIndia News