Won’t Give An Extra Drop Of Water To Any State, Says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann On SYL Canal Issue

Punjab's Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, recently made a resolute announcement, stating that the state would not entertain the idea of sharing any additional water with neighbouring states, regardless of the circumstances.

This declaration came during a significant meeting chaired by Mann, where the primary focus was the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal issue, as reported by NDTV.

Although no official agenda had been released for the meeting, the council of ministers engaged in extensive discussions surrounding the SYL canal matter.

During the gathering, Mann reaffirmed Punjab's unwavering commitment to refrain from sharing any additional water resources with other states.

In another crucial development during this meeting, the state cabinet unanimously approved the appointment of Gurminder Singh as the new advocate general (AG).

Responding to a request from the Supreme Court, a meeting was convened to discuss the allocation of land in Punjab for the construction of a section of the SYL canal.

It is worth noting that all political parties in Punjab have joined hands to emphasise that the state does not possess surplus water resources to share with neighbouring states.

On the other side, political parties in Haryana have expressed their support for the Supreme Court's directives in this matter.

During a recent hearing, the Supreme Court issued specific instructions to the Centre, including an assessment of designated land in Punjab for the SYL canal's construction.

The SYL canal project was initially conceived with the goal of facilitating the equitable distribution of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers.

The ambitious project involved the construction of a 214-kilometre canal, with 122 kilometrrs allocated for Punjab and the remaining 92 kilometres for Haryana.

While Haryana successfully completed its portion of the project, Punjab, which initiated construction in 1982, eventually abandoned it.