‘DISPUTE IS OVER, CANAL IS ON’
SHIMLA: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said that no dispute remains between his state and the neighbouring Punjab over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal after the Supreme Court verdict over the issue.
“Punjab had enacted a law in 2004 cancelling the (tripartite) agreement on distribution of river waters. Now, the apex court has scrapped that legislation. No dispute is now left over the SYL issue,” he told reporters here.
Khattar, who was on a private visit to Shimla, said an all-party delegation from Haryana will soon meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise them of the latest situation.
Reacting to Punjab’s demand of royalty from other states for water sharing, Khattar said, “Royalty is a concept of the colonial times in India. In an independent and democratic country, there is no logic of royalty for water sharing.” Observing that efforts are being made by Punjab leaders to gain political mileage, he said. “Since Punjab is going for assembly polls, political parties are trying to manipulate the issue in their own way. However, I think it is not going to affect polls in any manner.”