Reacting strongly to the Supreme Court’s directive on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal issue, Punjab’s opposition parties unite in their stance against sharing water. Accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of favouring the canal’s construction, the opposition has vowed that Punjab will not relinquish a drop of water.
The Court, with Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, CT Ravikumar, and Sudhanshu Dhulia, rebuked Punjab’s approach to the SYL canal dispute, pushing for cooperation. The Supreme Court has now tasked the Central Government with supervising the dispute’s mediation and ordered a land survey in Punjab for the canal.
The controversy finds its origins in the 1981 water-sharing agreement, drafted after Haryana split from Punjab in 1966. Designed for equitable water distribution, the SYL canal saw Punjab stop construction post the initial phase, leading to prolonged legal battles.
In a critical move in 2004, Punjab annulled the SYL agreement. The Supreme Court, however, overturned this in 2016, after which Punjab gave the canal-earmarked land back to its original owners.
BJP Punjab Chief, Sunil Jakhar, and SAD senior leader, Bikram Singh Majithia, are among those opposing AAP’s inclination to continue the canal’s construction. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) lambasts AAP’s Bhagwant Mann-led government, citing previous decisions to return the canal land to farmers and labelling the current move as a betrayal.
Majithia underscores, “The people of Punjab and SAD won’t let AAP’s plan to transfer water to Haryana succeed.”
