The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to actively cooperate with the Union Government in seeking an amicable resolution to the long-standing Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute.
A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih issued the directive after the Centre informed the court that it had already initiated steps to mediate the dispute. “We direct both the states to cooperate with the Union of India in arriving at an amicable solution,” the bench observed.
The court further stated that the matter would be taken up again on August 13, should the issue remain unresolved by then.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, apprised the bench of the ongoing mediation efforts and urged the states to engage constructively. “We have made efforts for mediation, but the states have to walk the talk,” she told the court.
The SYL canal was conceived as a vital infrastructure project to ensure the equitable distribution of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers between Punjab and Haryana. Of the proposed 214-kilometre canal, 122 kilometres were to be built in Punjab and the remaining 92 kilometres in Haryana.
While Haryana has completed construction within its territory, Punjab, which began work in 1982, later halted the project amid political and social opposition.
The inter-state water dispute has remained unresolved for decades. Notably, the Supreme Court had earlier ruled in favour of Haryana on January 15, 2002, in a suit filed by the state in 1996, directing Punjab to construct its share of the canal.
