As the issue of the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal – the focal point of a water-sharing dispute between Haryana and Punjab – continues to be at the centre stage of Punjab politics, the BJP’s State unit on Friday said it would oppose and make every sacrifice to prevent the construction of SYL or any new water carrier channel carrying Punjab’s waters to non-riparian States.
Even as the BJP-led government in Haryana has been pushing the construction of the SYL canal and asking for its share of water, the BJP’s Punjab unit in its core committee meeting, chaired by the State party president Sunil Jakhar passed a resolution stating that they firmly resolve to protect Punjab’s water.
“Punjab does not have surplus water and is suffering (from) an acute shortage of surface water and over-exploitation of groundwater because of the transfer of its river waters to non-basin and non-riparian States. It is not only against existing provisions of the Constitution but also against the principles of natural justice. We firmly resolve to protect the waters of Punjab,” read the resolution.
