No question of building SYL canal as Punjab has no spare water: State govt

A day after the Supreme Court's order over the construction of Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal in Punjab, the Mann government on Thursday said there is no question of building the canal as the state has no spare water to share with Haryana.

The top court on Wednesday asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab allocated for construction of part of the SYL canal in the state and make an estimate about the extent of construction carried out there.

The SYL issue, along with other issues, was discussed in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mann at his residence here.

Mann said not even a single drop of additional water will be shared with any other state at any cost.

"The SYL issue was discussed at the meeting. Not even a single drop of additional water will be shared with any other state at any cost. ...Convening the monsoon session (of the state Assembly) soon was also discussed. Approval to several pro-people decisions was given," the chief minister wrote on X.

Later, an official statement said that the cabinet opined that the state has no spare water to share with any other state so there is no question of construction of the SYL canal.

The Sutlej river has already dried up and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of its water, it said.

“Punjab has no surplus water to share with Haryana and reassessment of availability of water is required as per international norms,” the statement said.

It was also observed that Punjab's 76.5 per cent blocks (117 out of 153) are over exploited where the stage of groundwater extraction is more than 100 per cent, whereas in Haryana only 61.5 per cent blocks (88 out of 143) are over exploited, it said.

        Later, speaking to reporters, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the state government's stand is clear that the state does not have a single drop of water to share.

        “When we do not have water to spare then how can we give it to anyone,” said Cheema.

        He said once the copy of the SC order is received, the government will decide whatever legal recourse needs to be taken or if any session of the state assembly needs to be called.

        The monsoon session of the Punjab Assembly will also be called within the next couple of days, the minister said, adding that the date for convening the session will be announced once the Speaker returns from abroad.

        The SYL canal was conceptualised for effective allocation of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers. The project envisaged a 214-km canal, of which a 122-km stretch was to be constructed in Punjab and the remaining 92 km in Haryana.

        Haryana has completed the project in its territory but Punjab, which launched the construction work in 1982, shelved it subsequently.

        In another decision, the Punjab cabinet gave its consent for sending the cases of two life convicts for seeking their premature release. These special remission cases will be submitted to the Punjab governor for consideration, the statement said.

        The cabinet also gave its nod to remit three per cent additional stamp duty levied on property registration in urban areas up to December 31, 2023.

        The cabinet also approved the proposal for introduction of the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill-2023 to make certain amendments in the 2017 Act in consonance with directions of GST Council.         

The cabinet further gave green signal to a policy for regularizing existing standalone buildings such as hotels, multiplexes, farmhouses, industrial institutes and others, constructed without permission of the concerned department outside the municipal limits, urban estates and industrial focal points.