SYL Canal dispute: Punjab's CM Mann says no extra water sharing with other states
Chandigarh, October 5: Following a significant development in the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) case at the Supreme Court of India, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann affirmed the state's stance, declaring that Punjab has no additional water to allocate to any other state. The statement was made after an emergency Cabinet meeting convened earlier in the day.
The emergency Cabinet meeting was prompted by the Supreme Court's directive to the Union of India to conduct a survey of the land allocated for the SYL canal's construction in Punjab to assess the progress of the work. The Punjab government has been instructed to cooperate with this survey, a move that has triggered discussions on the SYL issue.
ਅੱਜ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਦੀ ਅਹਿਮ ਮੀਟਿੰਗ ਸੱਦੀ ਗਈ....ਜਿਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਵੇਂ AG ਨੂੰ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਵਲੋਂ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਗੀ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਗਈ...ਨਵੇਂ AG ਵਜੋਂ ਗੁਰਮਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੇ ਨਾਮ ਨੂੰ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਨੇ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਗੀ ਦਿੱਤੀ...
ਨਾਲ ਹੀ SYL ਦੇ ਮਸਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਲੈਕੇ ਵੀ ਮੀਟਿੰਗ 'ਚ ਚਰਚਾ ਹੋਈ...ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਕੀਮਤ 'ਤੇ ਇੱਕ ਬੂੰਦ ਵੀ ਵਾਧੂ ਪਾਣੀ ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਸੂਬੇ ਨੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ… pic.twitter.com/9XJbfr1qf1 — Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 5, 2023
While no formal agenda for the Cabinet meeting was circulated, one of the key decisions made was the appointment of Gurminder Singh as the new Advocate General of Punjab. He succeeds Vinod Ghai, who resigned, reportedly in light of legal complications surrounding Panchayat elections.
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court hearing on the SYL case, opposition parties, including Congress and Akali Dal, criticized the AAP government for allegedly not adequately defending the case in the apex court. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's strong declaration on Thursday is seen as a response to these political attacks on the emotionally charged issue of river water sharing.
It is worth noting that in November 2016, ownership rights to a significant portion of the land (4,627 acres and one kanal and two Marla) acquired for the SYL construction were de-notified. This action was taken using the legal authority of revenue officers to conduct surveys and settle revenue estates, leading to the distribution of land holdings. The remaining land includes minors and distributaries connected to the main canal, serving the purpose of irrigating fields in Ropar, Mohali, Patiala, and Fatehgarh Sahib.
The ownership rights to this land were vested in the landowners in November 2016, following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated The Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act, 2004, further complicating the SYL dispute.
Also Read: Punjab Cabinet okays appointment of Gurminder Singh as new Advocate General
- With inputs from agencies
