Chunav Flashback: When Chaudhary Sher Singh exposed claims on SYL issue in 1995
The Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) dispute, which began in 1966, became so complex that despite several efforts by the governments and court, still it remained unresolved.
As Haryana is set to elect the new government on October 5, the undying issues in the state took centre stage as people are seeking solutions to these issues. One of them is a long-standing Satluj Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) issue. Since the creation of Haryana in 1966, the SYL issue remained unresolved. Like every election, in this poll too, the political parties are promising to find a solution to the SYL dispute with Punjab. In today's article, a part of the Chunav Flashback series, we revisit an incident when Haryana leader Chaudhary Sher Singh exposed the claims of politicians of resolving the SYL issue in 1995.
In March 1995 during a debate on the Governor's address to the assembly, Singh said every party claims that they worked to resolve the issue related to building a canal linked to SYL yet the people of the state are suffering.
"Bansilal ji said 85 per cent of work to build the canal has been done during his government, while Sampat Singh's party claimed that 80 per cent of work was completed during its regime. If we add both parties' claim it would become 165 per cent," Singh said in the assembly.
Expressing his disappointment, he asserted every party just aimed their political points and no one showed a real willingness to resolve the issue.
He said the issue would not be resolved till all the parties come together to address it. On his influential speech, everyone present in the assembly was stunned and agreed with his opinion, vowing to find a permanent solution.
What is Sutlej Yamuna Link or SYL issue?
According to the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal runs 90 km in Haryana and about 121 km in Punjab and envisages conveying 3.45 MAF (Million Acre-Foot) out of 3.5 MAF of Haryana’s average annual share of surplus Ravi-Beas waters ( as per 1981 agreement). There is a dispute between Haryana and Punjab over the distribution of water.
The government of Haryana had filed a case in 2016 (IA No. 6/2016) as part of original suit no. 6/ 1996 in the matter regarding the construction of Satluj Yamuna Link Canal and the same is pending in the Supreme Court of India, an article on the website of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation read.