Chandigarh:

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday called Punjab his state’s “elder brother” and urged it to share water from the Ravi and Beas through the Sutlej Yamuna link (SYL) canal.

He made the suggestion while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Earlier in the day, he also visited the Radha Soami Satsang in Beas and met the sect’s chief, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, at his residence.

While Haryana has built its portion of the canal, Punjab is reluctant to complete the stretch in its territory, saying it has no water to spare.

Speaking to reporters on the SYL canal issue, Saini said, “Punjab is our elder brother, and it is the duty of the elder brother not to let the younger brother be disappointed.”

He also stressed the familial bond between Punjab and Haryana, stating, “Punjab-Haryana is one family and I appeal to our elder brother to share water with us.”

Recently, after the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi accused Haryana of not releasing the national capital’s share of water, Mr Saini maintained that Haryana is releasing water to the city over and above the agreed-upon quantity.

Mr Saini had then said that there is also an AAP government in Punjab, and they should ask Punjab to give SYL canal water so that Haryana’s water shortage can be overcome and Delhi can also get more water.

During his visit to the Golden Temple, Mr Saini partook of ‘langar’ and offered “sewa” (voluntary service) by washing utensils.

The Gurudwara Committee presented him a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour), the statement said.

Speaking to reporters after paying obeisance at the Golden temple, Mr Saini said, “Today, I have found great peace of mind by visiting the holy city Amritsar”.

We should pledge to follow the path shown by the Gurus, Mr Saini said, adding that he prayed for the happiness and prosperity of the people of the state and the country.

“The sacrifice of our Sikh Gurus for the protection of the nation and religion is embedded in every particle of this holy land, which inspires the entire country to serve the nation,” he said in a post on X.

According to an official statement, the Haryana chief minister’s visit to Radha Soami Satsang at Beas was a “courtesy” meeting.

“Met Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon Ji, the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Under his able leadership, RSSB has been at the forefront of many community service efforts. On this occasion, received guidance from Baba Gurinder Ji on various spiritual and social issues,” Mr Saini said in another post on X in Hindi.

He later visited the Ram Tirth temple near Amritsar city.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today 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 in Chandigarh.

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 top 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.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)