IN WRITTEN COMMUNICATION TO PUNJAB CM, MANOHAR LAL EXPRESSES WILLINGNESS TO REOPEN TALKS FOR SYL CANAL RESOLUTION, EXPRESSES HOPE FOR SWIFT SYL CONSTRUCTION IN PUNJAB

After vigorously advocating the Satluj-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal case in the Supreme Court, Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal has communicated with his Punjab counterpart Mr. Bhagwant Mann, through a letter and made it clear that he is ready for dialogue to resolve any hurdle or obstacles hindering the construction of the SYL canal. He said that Supreme Court issued a comprehensive order on October 4, 2023, explicitly stating that "the execution is not related to the allocation of water."

The SYL is legally recognized as the rightful claim of Haryana, and Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal is actively pursuing all possible avenues to secure its construction.

Chief Minister said that every resident of Haryana is anxiously anticipating the prompt SYL canal construction within the Punjab region, as per the decree outlined in Original Case No. 6 of 1996. Apart from this, he remains committed to taking any necessary actions to bring this long-awaited aspiration of his people and the dry lands of Southern Haryana. He conveyed his optimism that the Punjab government will indeed collaborate and contribute to the resolution of this matter.

In fact, the Punjab Chief Minister had written a letter to Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal on October 3, a day before the Supreme Court's decision on October 4, 2023, requesting a bilateral meeting on this issue. Prior to this, the last meeting between the two was held on October 14, 2022. Subsequently, the Union Jal Shakti Minister conducted a second round of discussions on January 4, 2023, during which the Chief Ministers of both states were present. It is noteworthy that all meetings concerning the SYL canal remained inconclusive, primarily due to the Punjab Government's negative stance on the matter.