Water dispute: Supreme Court directs Punjab, Haryana to work with Centre for amicable resolution

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Punjab and Haryana to cooperate with the Centre to resolve their Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal row.A bench of chief justice-designate BR Gavai and justice AG Masih gave the neighbouring states time till August to find a mutually acceptable solution."We direct the states to cooperate with the Union of India in arriving at an amicable solution. The matter will be heard on August 13 if it is not resolved by then," news agency PTI qouted the bench as saying.Appearing for the Centre, additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati informed the bench that the Centre has made efforts for mediation between Punjab and Haryana, but the states have to "walk the talk."Punjab and Haryana are at loggerheads over the latter receiving an extra 4,500 cusecs of water. On April 23, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) made the decision to release additional water to Haryana. This was opposed by Punjab.The BBMB decides the annual quota of water supply to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan for a yearly cycle, which begins on May 21 each year and ends on May 21 of the following year.The Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal dispute between Punjab and Haryana has been lingering on for decades.The SYL canal was conceptualised for the effective allocation of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers. The project envisaged a 214-km canal, of which 122 km was to be constructed in Punjab and the remaining 92 km in Haryana.While Haryana has completed the project in its territory, Punjab, which launched the construction work on its side in 1982, later shelved it.The top court had on January 15, 2002, ruled in favour of Haryana in a suit filed by it in 1996, and directed the Punjab government to construct its portion of the SYL canal.