CM Saini urges ‘elder brother’ Punjab to share water with Hry
Completion of the construction work of the SYL canal is a long-pending issue between two states
AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH : Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday urged Punjab to share water with Haryana and said that it is the duty of the ‘elder brother’ not to disappoint the ‘younger brother’. Saini, who paid obeisance at the Golden Temple, underlined the familial bond between Punjab and Haryana, stating that Punjab-haryana is one family and one household.
“Haryana is not different from Punjab. We are one. I appeal to our elder brother to share water with us. Punjab is our elder brother and it is the duty of the elder brother not to disappoint the younger brother. We can only make requests to our elder brother,” Saini said responding to a question on the contentious Sutlej
Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.
The completion of the construction work of the SYL canal is a long pending issue between Haryana and Punjab. Haryana has been saying that due to the non-completion of the SYL canal, surplus and un-channelled water of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas goes to Pakistan. On the other hand, the stated stand of
Punjab has been that the border state does not have a drop of water to spare.
After Supreme Court directions in October 2023, the CMS of the two states have held joint meetings with the Union government acting as a mediator but the stalemate has continued.
The canal was conceptualised for the effective sharing of water between the two states from the Ravi and Beas rivers. The project envisages a 214kilometre canal, of which a 122kilometre stretch was to be constructed in Punjab and the remaining 92 kilometres in Haryana. Haryana has completed the project in its territory but Punjab, which launched the work in 1982, shelved it. Haryana officials said the unavailability of SYL water was causing hardship and a significant decline in the groundwater level in southern Haryana.
“Vast areas in Haryana are waiting for that water. And I firmly believe that Punjab will not leave its younger brother disappointed. I feel that Punjab will surely fulfil its duty because both are from one family and home”, Saini said, who was accompanied by Haryana transport minister Aseem Goel.
Haryana government in a statement said the chief minister also performed ‘sewa’ at the Golden Temple. And later also visited the Bhagwan Valmiki pilgrimage site Ram Tirth near Amritsar.
Speaking to mediapersons,
Saini said: “Today, I have found great peace of mind by visiting Amritsar, the sacred city of Sikh Gurus. This is a holy place where we should pledge to follow the path shown by the Gurus.”
During the Punjab itinerary, Saini also visited Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 40 km from Amritsar and called on dera chief, Gurinder Singh Dhillon.
According to an official statement, it was a ‘courtesy’ meeting. In a post in Hindi on X, Saini wrote “Met Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon Ji, the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Under his able leadership, RSSB has been at the forefront of many community service efforts. On this occasion, received guidance from Baba Gurinder Ji on various spiritual and social issues.”
The sect has a large number of followers across the country and the country’s top political leaders visit the sect headquarters from time to time.
“This is the first time that Saini met Dera Beas chief after becoming the chief minister...,” an official statement added.