Ahead of the crucial meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana on April 20 to resolve the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna link (SYl) canal issue, Union Minister Birender Singh on Friday said that Haryana would get its share of water in SYl canal.
The Union Minister of Steel, Birender Singh while speaking at a function in Hisar, said that SYl will be constructed soon and the State would get its due share of water in the canal.
With the crucial meeting with Prime Minister on SYl canal issue approaching, the politics on the water-sharing issue between Punjab and Haryana has also escalated.
Recently, the Chief Minister Manohar lal while commenting on the issue had also reiterated that following the Supreme Court directions in Haryana’s favor, the state would get its share of water from SYl canal and the canal will be constructed.
The State Cabinet will meet on April 18 where the SYl canal issue is likely to be deliberated upon to chalk out a strategy ahead of April 20 meeting with Prime Minister. The Haryana Government is positive about the meeting as the Supreme Court has already delivered its verdict in favour of Haryana.
Notably, Haryana’s main opposition party, Indian National lok Dal (INlD) is holding an indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since April 6, pressing for their demand of SYl canal construction.
On the other hand, Congress has demanded an early solution to the long-pending issue of SYl canal between Punjab and Haryana.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has welcomed the decision of PM to convene a meeting and demanded to resolve the issue between the two States and initiate SYl construction at the earliest.
An all party delegation led by the Chief Minister had recently met Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the SYl issue. last year on November 28, all party delegation had met President Pranab Mukherjee urging him for implementation of the SC verdict on SYl issue at the earliest.
Ever since its creation in 1966, Haryana has been engaged in a dispute over sharing of river waters with Punjab. The SYl is a proposed 214-km long canal to connect Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. Since it relates to water sharing between Punjab and Haryana, the two states have been fighting over it and the matter is now before the Supreme Court.
A day before, Union Minister for Water Resources and River Development Uma Bharti while commenting on Centre’s view on the issue had in Hisar had said that the SYl canal issue would be sorted out within the ambit of the law.