: Punjab and Haryana are set for another face-off on the issue of sharing water from the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal as the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday passed two resolutions — one against the construction of the canal and the other demanding a levy on water to non-riparian States. Haryana called Punjab’s move “unconstitutional.”
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal moved a resolution at a special session, directing the government, Cabinet and officials, in public interest, to neither hand over any land of the State to any agency for the construction of the canal, nor allow anyone to work on the project or give any cooperation for this purpose.
Cong. MLAs abstainThe resolution was passed even as all 42 Congress MLAs, who resigned from the Assembly after the Supreme Court had on Thursday last invalidated the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, stayed away from the session.
Mr. Badal said the State government would do everything possible to stop water from flowing to Haryana. “Any decision to rob the State of its legitimate rights would not be acceptable to the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government. Also, there is no need to construct the SYL canal,” he said.
“The House takes a serious view of the fact that Punjab is already falling short of its canal water needs and farmers are facing a serious water crisis,” said Mr. Badal, adding that Punjab, India’s grain bowl, is becoming ‘barren’ and consequently posing a threat to national food security and the State’s economy.
‘Royalty for river waters’The Assembly also passed a resolution, moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Mohan Mittal, directing the government to take up the matter of levying royalty for river waters flowing to Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi, which are the non-riparian States.
