Not even single drop of additional water to be shared with any state: Punjab CM claims on SYL issue

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said not even a single drop of additional water will be shared with any other state at any cost.

He further informed that the state cabinet has approved the name of Gurminder Singh for the advocate general's (AG) post.

Bhagwant Mann said this after chairing an emergency meeting of the cabinet at his residence here.

Though no official agenda of the meeting was released, the council of ministers discussed the Sutlej-Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal issue.

Bhagwant Mann said the name of Gurminder Singh was approved for the AG's post at the cabinet meeting.

"Also, 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.

The meeting came a day after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab that was allocated for the construction of a part of the SYL canal.

All political parties in Punjab asserted on Wednesday that the state does not have a single drop of additional water to share with any other state.

However, political parties in Haryana welcomed the apex court's directions, saying the people of the state have been waiting to get SYL water for years.

During the hearing in the matter on Wednesday, the top court asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab that was allocated for the construction of a part of the SYL canal and make an estimate of the extent of construction carried out there.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul also asked the Centre to actively pursue the mediation process in order to resolve the festering dispute between Punjab and Haryana over the construction of the canal.

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.