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The Haryana Government on Friday sought the “personal intervention” of the Union Water Resources Minister, Mr Salman Khurshid, for an early decision on terminating the Water Agreements Act in Punjab and construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.
The SYL canal is to bring Haryana's share of water from Punjab, which in 2004 enacted a law annulling all agreements relating to sharing of river water with neighbouring States, including Haryana.
Since Haryana has failed to get its share of water in Ravi and Beas rivers due to non-completion of the SYL canal by neighbouring Punjab, Haryana Irrigation Minister, Mr Ajay Singh Yadav, took up the matter with Mr Khurshid.
In his letter to the Union Minister, Mr Yadav said presidential reference regarding termination of the Act was pending for over seven years. He urged him to take up the issue with the Attorney General of India, who in turn could pursue it with the Supreme Court for an early decision.
“This is perhaps the only presidential reference which has not been decided by the Supreme Court for more than seven years,” an official release quoting Mr Yadav said.
The release said that in his letter, Mr Yadav attached a list of presidential references made by the Government of India to the Supreme Court since 1951 showing that all these were decided almost the same year.
He said the matter was not being taken up despite the Haryana government raising it several times. “It gives us a feeling that the Government of India has not followed up the matter with the Supreme Court,” he said.
“I sincerely request you to intervene personally and take up the matter with Attorney General of India who in turn should take it up with the Supreme Court, so that the presidential reference is decided early and construction of SYL canal also starts in the right earnest,” he wrote.
“This is very important for Haryana, especially for the southern part of Haryana from where I come. This part is deprived of water due to non-completion of SYL canal by Punjab,” Mr Yadav said.
He said that during his tenure as Irrigation Minister, the Haryana Government constructed Hansi-Butana canal to partly take care of the unequal distribution of water, but this canal too could not work because of the Supreme Court's stay order.
“A decision on the presidential reference, I am sure, will also help in resolving the Hansi-Butana canal issue,” he added.
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