Haryana should implement apex court decision on SYL canal: Hooda

Chandigarh: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday said the state government has been misleading the farmers and the state on the construction of the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, bringing back into focus the decades-old contentious issue of sharing of river waters between Haryana and Punjab.

"The decision (relating to the SYL) has already been given by the Supreme Court in favour of Haryana. It's the responsibility of the government to implement this decision," he told IANS in an interaction here.

Responding to a question on the proposed meeting between the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh on water sharing on June 5, the two-time chief minister said: "The BJP has its government both in the state and the Centre. Despite this, the decision of the Supreme Court is not being implemented. Now, to complicate and delay the matter, it is being said that the SYL water will come to Haryana via Himachal.

"The question is why the BJP-JJP government is not filing a contempt case in the Supreme Court? Why are they not talking about bringing Haryana's water through the SYL canal built in Punjab? Why does the coalition government always keep silence on the rights of Haryana," Hooda categorically asked Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The Vidhan Sabha last year passed a resolution seeking completion of the SYL canal.

The resolution says: "The August House has unanimously on at least seven occasions passed resolutions urging the early completion of the SYL canal."

Under the provision of Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, according to the order of the government of India dated March 24, 1976, 3.5 million acre feet (MAF) of water was allocated to Haryana out of the surplus water of the Ravi-Beas.

Due to non-completion of the SYL canal, Haryana is using only 1.62 MAF of water.

In October last, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Khattar had failed to reach a consensus over the SYL canal issue.

A crucial meeting over the issue was held between the two CMs in Chandigarh after the Supreme Court had asked them to meet and find an amicable solution.

Mann had clearly said that Punjab has no surplus water to share with Haryana. He sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to provide additional water to Haryana either from the Ganga or the Yamuna river basins to overcome its shortage.

Khattar had categorically ruled out that any initiative to hold the next round of talks between the Chief Ministers will be taken.

Responding to another question, Hooda objected to cooperative banks charging interest on crop loans from the farmers.

The Leader of Opposition told IANS that during the Congress tenure, the interest was reduced to zero while giving relief to farmers on crop loans.