After Supreme Court nudge, Haryana CM ML Khattar to meet Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann over SYL canal row

PTI

Chandigarh, October 11

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will meet on October 14 to discuss the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.

The discussion between the two chief ministers has been scheduled after the Supreme Court had recently nudged them to meet and try to find an amicable solution.

“We will definitely try to find a way to resolve the issue,” Khattar told reporters here on Tuesday.

Last month, he had said that water from the SYL was crucial for Haryana.

"On the one hand, we are not getting this water, while on the other, Delhi is demanding more water from us. Fixing a deadline to resolve the issue at the earliest has become essential," he had said.

In Punjab, opposition parties had recently asked Mann to stand up for the state's cause over the issue.

Water-sharing from the SYL canal has been a bone of contention between the two states for decades.

Punjab has been demanding a reassessment of the Ravi-Beas river waters’ volume while Haryana has been seeking completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre-feet of the river waters.

The Centre had on September 6 informed the Supreme Court that the Punjab government was "not cooperating" in resolving the dispute.

Then Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had told the bench that the apex court had in 2017 called for an amicable settlement and that it was trying to bring the two states on the same page through its Water Resources Ministry.

"Unfortunately, Punjab has not been cooperating," the top law officer had said.

However, the counsel for Punjab had last month told a bench headed by Justice SK Kaul that the state government was keen to resolve the issue amicably.

Though official-level talks between the two states are on, the Centre has been insisting on meetings between the two chief ministers.

Venugopal had said that the bench might direct the Punjab counsel to ensure that the chief minister participates in the discussions with his Haryana counterpart.

"The Attorney General rightly points out that chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana were and are required to meet and it is agreed before us by the counsel present that such a meeting will be held within this month itself," the bench had said.