SC grants six weeks’ time to Punjab, Haryana on SYL canal row

New Delhi, September 7 : The Supreme Court on Thursday granted six weeks’ time to the Centre to explore the possibility of an amicable solution to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal row between Punjab and Haryana. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra was informed by Attorney General KK Venugopal that efforts were on to resolve the dispute between the two states and sought some more time. The bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar, considered the statement of the Centre and fixed the matter for further hearing on November 8 when the Centre would apprise it of the outcome of the ongoing process to resolve the dispute.
The apex court had on July 11 said that it was obligatory on the part of Punjab and Haryana to respect and execute its orders on the SYL canal issue. The controversial 1981 water-sharing agreement came into being after Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966. For effective allocation of water, the SYL canal link was conceptualised and both the states were required to construct their portions within their territories.