Punjab, Haryana CMs to attend Delhi SYL meet called by Jal Shakti Minister

The meeting has been called by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to discuss the vexed SYL issue which has been a major bone of contention between the two neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana since 1976.

Hyderabad Desk: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will meet in Delhi on Wednesday regarding Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has invited the CMs of both states to this meeting. Bhagwant Mann is already present in Delhi for the meeting.

A similar meeting was held between the two CMs on October 14 last year in Chandigarh over the matter. The meeting which lasted for about 2 hours was inconclusive. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had then told a press conference that no consensus was reached in the SYL meeting. The SYL canal dispute has been a major bone of contention between the two neighbouring states since 1976 when Punjab took Rs 1 crore from Haryana and approved the construction of SYL in 1977 to share the waters with Haryana.

However, Punjab later became hesitant about the construction of the SYL canal owing to domestic pressures. In 1979, Haryana approached the Supreme Court demanding the construction of SYL even as Punjab challenged Section 78 of the Reorganization Act in the Supreme Court on July 11 that year. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the previous governments played politics on the SYL issue.

The Punjab CM further said that Punjab does not have water due to which the SYL canal cannot be built. He asserted that Punjab's stand on SYL is intact.