Chandigarh: Hitting out at the disputes among states over sharing of water, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there are some states that are reluctant to give even a drop of water. PM Modi told this while addressing a rally in Rajasthan yesterday.
Without speaking on the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal dispute, PM Modi said, "There are some states that are not ready to give even a drop of water to their neihbours. When I was the chief minister of Gujarat, I gave Narmada water to Rajasthan within an hour. We are proud of releasing water to our farmers," he said. "Water is considered to be a virtue in our country. If someone is given water here, it is remembered for a long time," he added.
The statement of PM Modi is seen as a directive issued to the Punjab government to solve the matter.
Notably, even though Punjab was separated from Haryana on November 1, 1966 water distribution issue was settled a few years later. The Centre allocated 3.5 MAF water to Haryana and it was decided to build the SYL canal to bring this water. Thus, Haryana had completed its part of the canal many years ago, but Punjab has not yet completed its part. The issue has been raised several times in the Supreme Court due and the states were asked to resolve the dispute quickly.
Recently, controversy has risen due to the Supreme Court's comment on the SYL dispute. The Supreme Court reprimanded the Punjab government saying it should not play politics in this matter so, the opponents have now started to take on the government on this issue. The Akali Dal said that the Bhagwant Mann government told court that the canal was not being constructed due to the opposition parties.
Also Read: 'Don't compel us': SC warns Punjab govt over SYL row, asks Centre to survey canal land
