In a departure from the customarily contentious rhetoric surrounding the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday struck a conciliatory indicate, describing Haryana as a “brother” and calling for a resolution thru sustained dialogue.
Following a two-hour assembly in conjunction with his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini in Chandigarh, Mann said that the discussions had been held in a “sure ambiance” to resolve the three-decade-outdated deadlock.
“Haryana is rarely any longer our enemy, but a brother. Here’s a legacy anguish, and each and every states desire a resolution,” Mann said at some level of a joint press convention.
“We grasp determined this day that officers from every aspect will meet steadily—three to four events a month—to web a resolution without compromising the rights of either verbalize,” he said.
Echoing the sentiment, CM Saini confirmed that the dialogue would now transition to the executive stage. “Meaningful talks had been held this day. We grasp agreed to rob these discussions ahead thru traditional conferences between senior officers of each and every states,” Saini said.
The assembly, held at a hotel within the joint verbalize capital, became convened following instructions from the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly urged each and every states to web an amicable resolution thru the mediation of the Union executive. This became the sixth such assembly since August 2020.
Water reassessment clause
Despite the cordial tone, the core level of contention stays. Mann reiterated Punjab’s long-standing position that the pattern of the canal can easiest be discussed after a fresh reassessment of the water quantity readily out there within the Ravi and Beas rivers.
“Water is serious for each person, and nobody will grasp to still be deprived of their justifiable rights,” the Punjab CM said, adding that the states would no longer wait for particular Supreme Court hearing dates to convene their inside discussions.
The assembly became also attended by Punjab irrigation minister Barinder Goyal, Haryana minister Shruti Choudhary, and senior administrative officers from each and every the irrigation and true departments.
The SYL Canal mission, envisioned to allotment water between the two states, entails a 214-km canal, of which 122 km falls in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. Whereas Haryana has long carried out its allotment, Punjab has resisted constructing, citing dwindling groundwater ranges and diminished river drift.
