SYL issue will be resolved amicably: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday expressed hope that the contentious issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal would be resolved amicably through talks between Punjab and Haryana within the timeframe set by the Supreme Court.

He said the teams of the two states, led by their respective Chief Secretaries, were already engaged in dialogue and three-four rounds of talks had already been held.

The chief minister was interacting with the media after inaugurating the Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) here.

The two states would take the process of dialogue forward on this issue, he said, adding that the matter could be resolved through discussion in the four-month timeframe set by the Supreme Court, Singh said in response to a question.

It would be better for all concerned if the issue is settled through talks, he said.

The Supreme Court on September 3 had given four more months to Punjab, Haryana and the Centre to find an amicable solution to the SYL canal issue.

In the last hearing in July, the apex court had asked the chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana to form a committee to resolve the issue with the Centre's mediation.

In July, Singh said Punjab had no problem in sharing water with anyone, if it had enough of the vital resource.

However, the meetings between officials of Punjab and Haryana governments on SYL canal issue remained inconclusive with both states sticking to their stands.

Punjab has been maintaining that quantum of water flowing through Ravi and Beas rivers had come down considerably and therefore, seeking reassessment of the Ravi-Beas waters' volume.

Haryana has been seeking completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre feet of the river waters and had also asserted that Punjab should comply with the 2002 and 2004 Supreme Court orders for the completion of SYL canal for bringing its share of Ravi-Beas waters. Presently, it is getting 1.62 million acre feet (MAF) of Ravi-Beas waters.