Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar on Tuesday made an appeal to his Punjab counterpart Captain Amarinder Singh to take immediate steps for the construction of the Satluj-Yamuna-link canal which would benefit of farmers of both the States.
Khattar also expressed hope that the Punjab Chief Minister would honour the Supreme Court’s Tuesday orders on the issue.
The Chief Minister said, “I thank the Supreme Court for its orders on the SYl canal issue. The Apex Court has done justice.”
I have made an appeal to Capt. Amarinder to cooperate in the construction of the canal in Punjab, he said.
After SC directions on Tuesday, Khattar also took to micro-blogging website- Twitter, saying, “I appeal to Punjab CM @capt_amarinder ji for his cooperation in construction of the SYl canal for benefit of farmers of both states.”
The Chief Minister also held an informal routine meeting with Cabinet Ministers on Tuesday evening to discuss the SYl canal issue. All the Cabinet Ministers welcomed the SC’s directions on SYl canal.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister and Congress senior leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has made an appeal to the BJP-led Central Government to implement the court directions and begin work for the completion of SYl canal.
Hooda added that the Congress would begin an agitation if the Centre failed to take immediate steps for the construction of SYl canal.
Both Punjab and Haryana have been locked in a political and legal dispute over the sharing of the Ravi-Beas waters for decades. Punjab is opposed to the construction of SYl canal, saying it does not have surplus water to share with Haryana.
The Apex court, in November last year, had thwarted Punjab’s attempt to wriggle out of the SYl water sharing pact, saying it could not “unilaterally” terminate it or legislate to “nullify” the verdict of the highest court.
A day before, Haryana’s main opposition INlD had staged a protest by blocking roads and disrupting movement of vehicles entering the state from Punjab over the SYl issue.