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Mar 19, 2016

[CA] Sutlej - Yamuna Link


The Supreme Court has ordered status quo on the land meant for the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal after Haryana alleged attempts by Punjab to alter its use by levelling it. Despite the Supreme Court ordering the Punjab Government to maintain a status - quo on the Sutlej - Yamuna Link Canal, the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution refusing to compromise on its stand on the matter. Haryana Government slammed the Punjab Government.

Background:
·       This issue escalated when, earlier this month, the Punjab assembly passed the Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016 to de-notify the land acquired to build the canal in Punjab.
·       Upset with this, Haryana sought early hearing in the Supreme Court on the Presidential reference that has been pending for around 12 years now.
·       Haryana argued the Bill, awaiting the Governor’s assent, would negate the Supreme Court’s 2004 decree calling for unhindered construction of the canal which will give Haryana its share of water.

Supreme Court’s recent order:
In its interim order, the court has appointed the Union Home Secretary and the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police of Punjab as the ‘joint receiver’ of land and other property meant for the canal till the next hearing.
About the Crisis:
What is the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, and the controversy over it?
The creation of Haryana from the old (undivided) Punjab in 1966 threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters. Punjab was opposed to sharing waters of the Ravi and Beas with Haryana, citing riparian principles, and arguing that it had no water to spare.
However, Centre, in 1976, issued a notification allocating to Haryana 3.5 million acre feet (MAF) out of undivided Punjab’s 7.2 MAF.
To enable Haryana to use its share of the waters of the Sutlej and its tributary Beas, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna, cutting across the state, was planned. In April, 1982, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ceremonially dug the ground at Kapoori village in Patiala district for the construction of the 214-km Sutlej-Yamuna Link (or SYL) canal, 122 km of which was to be in Punjab, and 92 km in Haryana.
A tripartite agreement was also negotiated between Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan in this regard.

However, following the protests in Punjab, the Punjab Assembly passed The Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, terminating its water-sharing agreements, and thus jeopardising the construction of SYL in Punjab.
Other inter – water disputes in India:

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