Sutlej-Yamuna link row: Haryana to move SC against Punjab

BJP-led Haryana government today said it has decided to file a fresh suit in the Supreme Court to declare the Termination of Agreements Act passed by the Punjab assembly null and void.
Haryana Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar said his goverment would also seek early hearing of Presidential Reference, regarding validity of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, which has been pending for long.
Khattar, who listed out achievements of his goverment as it completed 100 days in power in the state, said, "We will urge the apex court that we (Haryana) should get our share of water through SYL canal."

After the erstwhile Punjab was reoraginsed into Punjab and Haryana in November 1966, the two states have been embroiling in a water sharing dispute from Ravi and Beas rivers. The Government of India allocated 3.5 MAF of the waters to Haryana in March 1976.
To carry its share of surplus waters, Haryana suggested construction of a link canal in the territories of the two neighbouring states. Haryana started construction of the SYL Canal in 1976 and completed it in 1980.
Punjab abruptly stopped work on the canal in July 1990. Haryana approached the SC in 1996 seeking direction to Punjab and the Union of India to complete the canal in a time- bound manner. The SC, in January 2002, ordered Punjab to complete the canal in one year.

The Punjab Assembly, however, on July 12, 2004, passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, annulling all inter-state agreements signed by Punjab on sharing Ravi and Beas waters.
The Government of India, on July 22, 2004, sought the SC's opinion on the validity of the Termination of Agreements Act through a Presidential Reference under Section 143 of the Constitution.