Amarinder hails Centre’s intervention in SYL issue

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has welcomed Centre’s decision to hold a meeting of Punjab and Haryana governments on April 20 to discuss the contentious Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue. The CM’s statement came in response to a submission made in the Supreme Court by the Centre on Monday that the PM has called a meeting of Punjab and Haryana on April 20 in order to resolve the matter, which would require a deferment of the hearing slated for April 12, 2017.

Amarinder said he had been seeking the Centre’s intervention to safeguard the interests of Punjab on the water-sharing issue. Punjab was represented by senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani and advocate general Atul Nanda. MODI SHOULD ANNUL 1976 ORDER: PHOOLKA Leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly HS Phoolka of the Aam Aadmi Party said, “Actually Prime Minister Narendra Modi should annul the 1976 order of the then PM Indira Gandhi on sharing water with Haryana. Sharda-Yamuna link canal be built for giving water to Haryana and Rajasthan. As Punjab’s groundwater is severely polluted, the state’s water requirement for drinking and irrigation should be taken into account

before giving water away.”

CENTRE ON MONDAY URGED THE APEX COURT TO DEFER THE APRIL 12 HEARING, SAYING A MEETING OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA HAS BEEN CALLED ON APRIL 20

INLD TERMS DIALOGUE A DELAYING TECHNIQUE Principal opposition party in Haryana, Indian National Lok Dal, has termed the proposed meeting as a delaying technique. “The BJP governments at the Centre and Haryana are only indulging in delaying tactics. There is no relevance of dialogue on the issue after the verdict of the apex court in Haryana’s favour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should order the Punjab government to construct the SYL canal,” INLD president Ashok Arora said.

Meanwhile, The Haryana Congress has said all stakeholders should wait for the Supreme Court order. “It is a political drama. Since the issue is still in the Supreme Court, the two government should pursue the case earnestly,” Congress leader Karan Dalal said.