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SYL issue, One of the world’s bitter conflicts for Water occured in Punjab. The SYL Canal is a 214 km long Canal that connects Punjab’s Satluj river to the Yamuna River. When Haryana was broken away from Punjab in 1966, the SYL was proposed to share Punjab’s water.
In 1966, Punjab was trifurcated to create Haryana and a larger Himachal. Both Chandigarh and the Bhakra Dam were taken away and put under the control of the Central Government. An agitation began to protect the language and rights of Punjab. On 8 April 1982, Indira Gandhi formally launched the construction of the SYL Canal at Kapoori Village in Patiala. Punjab was against sharing further water with neighbouring state Haryana as Punjab was already diverting 75% of its allocated water. The decision was deemed unconstitutional and against the international riparian laws.
Along with construction of SYL, protests began in 1982. Resistance started from Kapoori village where Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone of SYL. The movement, officially lead by Shiromani Akali Dal, was later called the Dharam Yudh Morcha,(unofficially lead by sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale with a huge base of followers). It also included many other issues of Sikh nation and Punjab. Due to stubbornness of Indian State, Dharam Yudh Morcha led to Ghallughara of June 1984 and Sikh Genocide in different parts of country.
In July 1985, Rajiv Gandhi and the then Akali Dal Chief, Harchand Longowal signed an accord for a new tribunal to assess the water. After many attempts the central government continued to undermine the rights of Punjabis and push the construction of the SYL Canal. A large part of it was built, costing over Rs 750 crore. After many protests the people of Punjab began resisting and stopping the construction. In 1990 Bhai Balwinder Singh Jattana stopped SYL by assassinating chief engineers.
In 2004, following orders by the top court, the Central Public Works Department was appointed to take over the canal work from the Punjab government. However, the state continued to remain defiant. The Punjab Legislative Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act of 2004, which abrogated all its river water agreements with neighbouring states. Then-President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam referred this Bill to the Supreme Court to decide on its legality in the same year, reports The Quint.
In February 2017, the SC stuck to its earlier verdict
that the construction of the SYL has to be executed
and asked Haryana and Punjab to maintain law and order “at any cost”.
In 2002, the Supreme Court (SC) directed Punjab to continue work on the SYL and complete it within a year. The state refused to oblige; instead, it petitioned for a review of the SC order, which was rejected.
Talks have again started about restarting the SYL Canal project, the current CM of Punjab, Bhagwant Maan is silent on the issue and the leader of his Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal has explicitly said in interviews that Delhi has a right over Punjab’s waters. Over the years no political party that has come to power has supported the notion that Punjab should have full control over its natural resources. Punjab will begin becoming a desert by 2029, experts say. The state has already over-exploited its groundwater for irrigation purposes.
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