New Delhi: Punjab will burn and the state’s water-sharing disputes with Haryana will transform creates a national security problem if Satluj-Yamuna Link Canal is built, the Cheif Minister Amrinder Singh warned the Centre at a virtual meeting, also attended by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
“You have to look at the issue from the scene of national security perspective. If you go ahead with SYL, Punjab will burn and it definitely become a national problem, with Haryana and Rajasthan will also suffer the impact, “Mr Singh said at the meeting, which was described as positive and cordial”.
The water dispute has been started in 1966 when Punjab and Haryana came into existence. Haryana had demanded a large chunk of river water which Punjab refused to provide, giving that it doesn’t have surplus water. The government of Indira Gandhi in 1975 by the way of an executive order, had divided the states into two states.
In 1982, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had started the construction of the canal. The Shiromani Akali Dal had launched an agitation against it. In 1985, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had met SAD Harchand Singh Longowal signed an accord for a new tribunal. Mr Longowal was killed by militants less than a month.
The meeting today was held according to the directions of the Supreme Court, which asked the two Chief Ministers with the last two month discussions of the completion of SYL canal.
At the meeting, Amrinder Singh reiterated the demand for a tribunal to make the time-bound assessment of the water availability, even he saw a complete share of water of the water from his state from the total available resource available, including from the River Yamuna.
He, however, said that he was ready to discuss all the issues with his Haryana counterpart and said “Why we would not have given water if we had”!
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told the reporters that the two states will be meeting at Chandigarh for further talk on the issues.
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