Police beef up security in Haryana in wake of INLD's call to dig SYL canal

The security has been beefed up in Ambala on Thursday in wake of Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) call to dig Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal near Shambhu barrier.

Meanwhile, the Punjab police cordoned off area near Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal in Patiala's Kapuri village near the Punjab-Haryana border.

Activists of INLD will today begin their march from Ambala and enter Punjab to dig the SYL canal.

The Supreme Court yesterday asked the government of Punjab and Haryana to maintain law and order in the respective state.

The apex court had also refused the Punjab government's plea seeking to postpone the SYL Canal issue after March 11 and deferred the matter for further hearing till March 2.

"We have already passed the decree and also ordered to maintain a status quo in the matter," the apex court observed.

On January 17, the apex court had asked both the Haryana and Punjab Governments to file their respective replies on the issue within three weeks.

The apex court had in November last year, termed the law passed by the Punjab government in 2004 to terminate the SYL canal water sharing agreement with neighbouring states as 'unconstitutional'.

Holding that the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004 was not being in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution, the top court answered in the negative to all the four questions referred to it in a presidential reference.

A constitution bench of the court ruled that Punjab could not and should not have taken a 'unilateral' decision to terminate the agreement with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh to share of the Ravi-Beas river waters.