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Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini called Punjab his own State’s “elder brother”, urging it to share water from the Ravi and Beas rivers through the SYL canal.
Satluj Yamuna Link Canal (SYL)
SYL is a 214-km long canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers
In 1982, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi inaugurated the construction of the SYL canal in Kapoor village of Patiala district.
The problem originates from 1966 when Punjab was reorganized and Haryana was formed.
Punjab opposed sharing the water of the two rivers with Haryana, citing riparian principles.
In July 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then the Akali Dal chief signed an agreement to establish a new court to assess water.
In 1996, Haryana moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Punjab to complete the work of SYL.
In 2002 and 2004, the control committee directed Punjab to complete the work in its territory.
In 2004, the Punjab State Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Contracts Act, which ended water sharing contracts.
The Supreme Court struck down the Act, the act was termed constitutionally invalid.
Since then, SYL has been a bone of contention between Haryana and Punjab.
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