SYL dispute: Chief secy's of Punjab, Haryana hold meet with water ministry

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal issue in January, the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana held a meeting with the Union Jal Shakti Ministry in New Delhi on Friday.

New Delhi:A joint meeting of officials of Punjab and Haryana governments led by their respective chief secretaries and convened by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry on the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal imbroglio was held in New Delhi on Friday.

Karan Avtar Singh, chief secretary of Punjab and Keshni Anand Arora, the chief secretary of Haryana held a detailed discussion with the Jal Shakti Ministry officials presenting their side of the case.

The meeting was held in the backdrop of a Supreme Court hearing on the long-standing issue which is scheduled to take place in January 2020.

In it's earlier hearing in September, the Supreme Court had given four more months to Punjab, Haryana, and the Centre to find an amicable solution to break the deadlock between the two states over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal.

A Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra extended the timeframe for talks after Attorney General KK Venugopal asked for three months for discussions towards an amicable solution.

However, the Bench said it was ready to give four more months for talks.
Haryana Government counsel wanted the court to fix a timeframe for concluding the talks, saying it cannot go on indefinitely.

The SYL canal has been a bone of contention between Punjab and Haryana.

It was conceived to share the waters of Ravi and Beas rivers after Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966.

However, Punjab has been opposing it citing riparian principles.